Beyond the Distant Stars (a Pokémon story)
by Detective Conan Agency
Summary: AU. A retelling of Ash's journey through Kanto-Orange Islands. In this universe, Ash travels from Kanto to ALOLA! Ultra Beasts, Team Skull, and a certain girl from Kalos all thrown into the mix of the beloved first two seasons of the anime!
1. Pokémon: I choose you!

**AU.**

 **Age 17: Ash, Misty, Gary, Leaf, Hau, Lillie, Serena**

 **Age 25: Brock**

 **A retelling of the first two seasons of the anime. Enjoy!**

* * *

One year earlier...

Aeither Foundation: analysis conclusion

Scientist: Edward

Project: Froakie

Case file #3284

Ms. Lusamine,

After conducting several field tests to determine what it is that makes this Froakie immune to our injections, we have come to the conclusion something must be off in it's genetic makeup. It's social behavior is the only thing inconsistent with the Patrat and Yungoos we had it living with. Everything else checked out. Eating habits, reflexes, brain wave activity, etc.. My concern is that this Froakie has developed some sort of ability to drastically change everything we thought we knew about Pokemon. Digging under the obvious questions of why or how our injections failed, we have a multitude of other concerns. Is this Froakie the only one? Is this immunity specific to it's species? If so, can we counter it? If not, how common is it, given thousands of other Pokemon have successfully taken the injections? I know you, madame, are focusing your research on the wormholes, but I'm fearful. This failed experiment can't be taken lightly if we plan to revolutionize the world. I'm well aware of your moral and ethical reasoning for being against putting experiments asleep, which is why I'm sending this plea to you. We MUST act now. Please allow me to make one exception and get rid of this experiment. We have the documented information we need to continue our studies, it's life is no longer necessary. If this Pokemon were to get in the wrong hands, I can't say with certainty we would have an answer. No, I can say with certainty. Whatever it is about this Froakie that is rejecting our medication IS NOT NATURAL. Even with Pokemon being the mythical beings they are, modern science has almost never failed to control them, until now. Please review this case and respond as soon as you can.

Thanks.

* * *

Edward sighed and closed his laptop. He stood up and removed his lab coat.

"What on earth is it about this thing that makes it so special? It's power level is average at best. Why can't I figure this out?" he said to himself, massaging his head.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Sirens sounded and red lights flickered on and off throughout Edward's' office and throughout the building.

His reading glasses dropped to the ground and he fell to his knees.

"Sir! Experiment 151 is loose! The Froakie is loose!" another scientist declared, peering into Edward's office with a panicked expression.

* * *

Present day..

Several men and women sat around a table in a plain white conference room.

"Am I to understand the Ultra Beasts have been released into our dimension, President Lusamine?"

"Correct. Years of research and analysis of wormholes and alternate universes have culminated into this moment. If we can control these beasts, and we're confident we can, well..." the pale-skinned, long blonde-haired business woman grinned, "There isn't much anyone can do to us, to be honest with you."

"So let me ask you something.."

Lusamine became intrigued.

"Before my arrival, I spoke with a young scientist of yours who told me something particular."

"Oh?" Lusamine responded with a hint of annoyance.

"Yes. The scientist spoke of a Froakie who was immune to your injections a year ago," the man stood up and turned his back to Lusamine. "As fate would have it, my research team came up with some interesting information."

Another man inserted a disk into a lap top that had been on the table. He turned it around so that everyone could see it.

Lusamine became visibly infuriated. "So what?! Are you telling me that's the Froakie who escaped two years ago and I should be worried?!" Lusamine shouted.

The man laughed. "Oh, dear Lusamine. I don't worry over things. I'm a business man. I only focus on opportunities."

"Opportunities?!"

"I'm President Trent Ketchum. If I want a Pokemon, believe me, I will get it. We just need to negotiate a few things..."

* * *

A calm breeze traveled through Hau'oli City on Melemele Island in the Alola region.

Local trainer, Hau and his classmate, Lille sat at the Hau'oli City cafe and enjoyed the sunset.

Lillie continued to sip the straw of her smoothie until it made a slurping noise. She removed her mouth from the straw and sighed.

"What's up?" Hau asked with a purposely goofy expression.

"Let me ask you something, Hau."

Hau removed his goofy expression and listened intently.

"Do you ever wonder why we're here? Like. What our purpose is?"

Hau just stared with a blank expression.

Lillie sighed again and stared out of the cafe window, gazing into the ocean beyond the pier. "I don't know. I've been thinking about my childhood lately. How I used to play with my brother until our mom called us in for supper. I was filled with so much happiness then. But that time in my life feels so...distant. Sometimes I don't even know how much of it I remember. It feels like time is leaving me behind, and I'm just as lost and hopeless as I've ever been. I don't just want to be a student at Alola University. I want something extraordinary to happen here, and I want to tell my grandchildren someday I was a part of something bigger than me..."

"Lillie.." Hau said, trying to piece together an appropriate response.

Just then, clamoring and shouting could be heard from down at the pier.

Hau and Lillie looked at each other before leaving the cafe to investigate.

Upon arrival, they watched in horror as a strange beast approached the crowd on the beach. This beast emitted an eerie vibe and it's power radiated from it like UV light from the sun.

"UB-02" a voice spoke.

Hau and Lillie turned their attention to the voice. It was the famous Detective Looker.

Without warning, the large red beast lunged into the crowd with it's giant fists.

Lillie grabbed Hau's shoulders and hid behind him, "What is that thing?" she shouted in fear.

Hau grabbed a Pokeball and tossed it in front of him, "Incineroar **:** let's go!" he exclaimed as the bipedal fire cat stood, ready for battle.

* * *

Later that evening in Pallet Town, Kanto...A journey begins..

Ash Ketchum watched anxiously as Bruno and Agatha, of the Elite 4, battled using their Onix and Gengar, respectively. The walls of Ash's room are light green with blue carpet. Two dressers and bunk bed also occupy the room; one of the dressers has the T.V. on it. Several Pokemon dolls lay scattered across the room, including a Snorlax beanie bag. Ash, in wearing his dark-blue jacket and light-blue jeans tightened his gloves and secured his red and white hat with a green z on the middle.

"I will journey to gain the wisdom of Pokemon training..." he proclaimed aloud as he picked up a tiny Voltorb toy and turned his hat backwards. "And I hear by declare to the Pokemon world: I will become a Pokemon Master! Pokemon Master! That is what -"

Ash stumbled backwards after his mom opened the door, surprising him.

"Ash! Are you still awake!" Ash's mom, Delia, opened the door.

Ash recovered. "I'm too excited, mom. I can't sleep."

"Well, you should at least watch this." She said as she clicked the remote and switched it to a Professor Oak lecture program featuring the three Kanto starters: Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.

"As soon as this is over, GO TO SLEEP! You have a big day tomorrow!" She said putting the remote down and shutting the door.

Ash sighed and watched the remainder of the program. After falling asleep that night, Ash dreamed about what each scenario of each starter would be like.

After some deep sleep, the sound of a Pidgey alarm awoke Ash, followed by his mother bursting in the room.

"Ash! You're late! Go see the Professor! Now!" _Delia_ exclaimed as _Ash_ darted out of the house in nothing but his boxers and a white t-shirt.

"Squirtle! Charmander! Bulbasaur! Any will do!" Ash shouted as he clumsily made his way down the dirt roads of Pallet.

Upon entering the gates of Oak's Lab, Ash bumped into his childhood rival, Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson.

"Well, well. If it isn't Ash!" Gary said in a condescending tone as he spun around a Pokeball.

"Gary..." Ash huffed.

"Late as usual. I'm going to go win Gym Badges so I can become Champion. Have fun with whatever is left! HA!" Gary said as he walked to a car that had been parked near by, driven by several attractive women.

Ash stomped up the stairs to make his selection..

* * *

Much to Ash's dismay, Professor Oak informed him that each starter had already been taken by trainers who made it on time. However, there was one more option. An Electric-type Professor had been studying, though he advised Ash that this one was different than a starter.

"Professor, I'll take it!" Ash, who was simply eager to begin his journey, insisted on taking the Pokemon.

"Very well..." Oak said reluctantly.

Professor Oak gave Ash 10 Pokeballs and his first PokeDex. Ash said goodbye to everyone as he left Pallet Town with his new partner, Pikachu.

Ash's mom overwhelmed him with love and concern before the boy could leave the lab. "Don't forget to brush your teeth everyday and wear clean underwear!" She insisted.

The Pokemon Ash began his journey with was a Pokemon called Pikachu. To say this Pokemon was stubborn would be an understatement. Pikachu shocked everyone who tried to touch him. He laughed as Ash struggled to make his way into the forest of Route 1.

The raven-haired boy tried and failed to capture a Pidgey and Rattata, Pikachu laughed from atop a tree as his trainer failed miserably.

"I don't need you!" Ash shouted to his first Pokemon as he picked up a rock and threw it into the tall grass in front of him.

The Pokemon that had been rustling in the grass raised it's head with anger. It was a Spearow...

"Uh-oh.." Ash said, holding up his PokeDex in front of him with a blank expression.

"Spearow. a Normal/Flying-type Pokemon. Spearow Eat bugs in grassy areas. It has to flap its short wings at high speed to stay airborne. Unlike Pidgey, Spearow can be quite aggressive and hostile, especially when bothered." The PokeDex said.

Ash gulped. The Spearow cried for help. Ash and Pikachu ran as fast as they could, but were quickly being chased by an angry flock of Spearow throughout the forest of Route 1 as a thunderstorm ensued. They jumped into a large river where Magicarp and Gyarados scared both of them. A young red-haired girl was fishing near by, giving Ash and Pikachu an odd look as they jumped out of the river and ran back into the dark woods..

Pikachu stumbled to the ground in pain after being attacked by the occasional diving Spearow. Ash stopped and tended to his Pokemon. "Pikachu...are you OK?" he asked.

The flock of Spearow hovered around the trainer and pokemon like buzzards in the desert over their prey.

Ash lowered the tip of his hat and stood in front of Pikachu with his arms spread out.

"Do you know who I am, Spearow? I am Ash Ketchum, from the town of Pallet! I am going to become a Pokemon Master! I won't be stopped by the likes of you!" He shouted as lightning struck, thunder clapped and the rain pounded the ground even harder. The Spearow cried with countering rage as they dove towards Ash and Pikachu in unison. "COME AND GET MEEEEEEE!" Ash shouted, preparing for impact.

Pikachu leaped on Ash's shoulder and became consumed with lightning as the surrounding area viciously shook.

* * *

Hours later, the morning sun rose and the clouds cleared. The sunlight woke up Ash and Pikachu who smiled at each other with what little strength they had.

"We did it, buddy."

"Pika." Pikachu slowly nodded.

A rainbow arched over the field they made their way to. A cry of a large Pokemon flying overhead caught their attention. The sight was beautiful. The Pokemon was a large shining, golden bird. Ash tried to use his PokeDex but no information could be found.

"Wow..." he said as he watched in awe as the Pokemon flew away.

A weird noise near by caused Ash and Pikachu to bring their attention back down to the ground where a strange beast floated 20 feet away from them. The beast emitted an eerie, strange energy that Ash had never felt before.

"What kind of Pokemon is..."

Before Ash could finish, the beast lunged towards the trainer and his injured Pokemon...


	2. Pokémon Emergency! Froakie vs UB-03

Thanks for reading!

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 **A/N: A few quick things. For those of you who were following this story before it got "rebooted", I apologize. But this story will end up being pretty much the same, I just like the idea of starting from Kanto, opposed to picking up at the end of X/Y and transitioning to Sun/Moon. Too many creators are already doing that, this feels different.**

 **I went back and edited some errors in chapter one. Also, I want to emphasize that this story will not cover EVERY episode and Every moment of the first two seasons and movies. Some things, like Ash getting Pikachu, will be rushed through. After chapter 3, expect things to be more elaborate as I implement my own plot into the overall storyline of the first season. Until then, bare with me. Enjoy!**

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* * *

 **Last time, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town set out on his first Pokémon journey. After sleeping late, Ash's only choice for a starter Pokémon a was a stubborn Pikachu. Never the less, the trainer and Pokémon made their way into route 1. An encounter with an angry flock of Spearow forced Pikachu to set aside it's pride and protect itself and Ash. The Spearow were defeated, but our duo now find themselves face to face with a strange beast...**

* * *

Ash nervously snarled and gripped his injured Pikachu in his arms. "What is this thing? It's no Pokémon I've ever seen before. Then again, neither was that big bird thing I saw yesterday..." He said under his breath.

The beast stood tall and lanky. The humanoid-like body was black with white electrical stripes around it's body and frizzy white hair. No facial features. It swayed back and fourth like it was asking for a fight.

"I can't battle it...Pikachu is hurt."

The beast lunged; Ash ran away, tripping and stumbling down a hill he had not been aware of. Pikachu fell from his arms. Ash extended his hands as he slowly picked himself up.

The beast jumped down and appeared in front of him, blocking his way to Pikachu.

"Fine. You can have me. Just leave Pikachu alone." Ash pleaded.

The beast continued to dance around oddly as static surged throughout it's body. Just then, a large stream of bubbles hit the beast, causing it to jump back. A small blue frog with white suds around it's neck leaped in front of Ash.

The trainer from Pallet Town attempted to use his PokeDex, but it was no use. "No information on this Pokémon." The dex read.

Ash threw it to the ground in anger, "This thing is not helping me at all today!" He shouted.

Without realizing, the beast had fled. Upon further inspection, he realized that the frog Pokémon who had helped him was also injured.

"Hey! Are you OK?" A voice called out.

It was the girl Ash and Pikachu passed by earlier while she was fishing.

"Uh, fine. I think." Ash responded.

"Not you! Your Pokémon!" She shot back.

"Oh. I don't think so," he responded, looking down at his Pikachu and the injured frog Pokémon with remorse.

Ash's cheek popped as the girl slapped him.

"Don't you know you have to take injured Pokémon to the Pokémon Center!?" She shouted.

Ash held his face in pain.

"Come on! Follow me!" She said picking up the blue frog Pokémon.

* * *

After making their way through the forest to a near by Pokémon Center in a small remote field, Nurse Joy informed them that both Pokémon would be fine, though she had to treat them promptly. Nurse Joy and Chansey rolled the two Pokémon back to the emergency room for treatment.

Ash sat down in the lobby and stared blankly at the ground. "It all happened so fast.." He said.

"Nurse Joy said they would be fine. Don't worry." The red-haired girl replied. "By the way, I'm Misty."

"The name's Ash."

"So. Where did you get that Froakie, anyway?" Misty asked.

"Froakie?"

"Yeah. Froakie is a Water-type from the Kalos region. No wild Froakie has ever been seen all the way here in Kanto.."

Ash looked back down to the ground, trying to reconnect the pieces of what transpired from yesterday to now. "Ya see, I left Pallet Town with Pikachu, and we were attacked by those Spearow. Then, after Pikachu finally defeated them, we saw a strange bird Pokémon fly overhead. It was like nothing I've ever seen. That's when we were attacked by another strange Pokémon. And that's when Froakie came from nowhere and saved us."

Misty looked puzzled as she listened.

Just then, Ash's cell phone began buzzing. It was a video chat request from his mother and Professor Oak.

"Hey honey! How is your first day? Is your underwear clean?" Delia said.

"Ha ha, mom, please..." Ash responded with embarrassment.

"Hello, my boy! Has anything exciting happened yet?" Professor asked with a chuckle.

"Actually..." Ash responded and proceeded to explain to his mom and the Professor what he experienced since leaving Pallet Town.

"That's scary stuff. I want you to come home already..." Delia replied.

"Hmmm. A large bird Pokémon you say. And you're sure it wasn't a Pidgeot or a Fearow?" Professor Oak asked.

Ash nodded.

Oak quickly left the frame of the video and came back with some artists depictions of other Pokémon. "What about these?" He asked, holding the drawings up.

"I...Maybe?" Ash responded.

"Those are drawings of the legendary bird trio. Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres.." Misty commented. "Only a handful of people have actually seen them."

"And you're sure it was one of these Pokémon, Ash?"

Ash folded his arms and pondered. "I don't really know..."

"Well, in any case. The other Pokémon you described encountering is something I'll have to do some research on." Oak said while scratching his chin. "I'm thinking you meeting Froakie wasn't an accident, either. If you truly saw these other Pokémon, maybe they are linked to Froakie in some way. Hmmm..." He pondered.

*DING DING*

The emergency room light went off, indicating Pikachu and Froakie were healed.

"Gotta go, guys."

"Ash. Please be careful."

"Will do, mom!" He said before closing his phone and darting over to Nurse Joy.

"Everyone is healthy!" Nurse Joy said to Ash and Misty.

Pikachu hopped off of the rolling bed into Ash's arms. "Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Ash enthused.

Nurse Joy smiled and nodded.

Froakie leaped over and looked up at Ash. The two stared into each other's eyes for a few silent moments.

"I think Froakie wants to come with you, Ash. How sweet.." Misty said.

Ash nodded. "I really owe you, Froakie. Ya know, I want to become a Pokémon Master! I'm not going to let what happened earlier slow me down." He knelt down and rested his hand on Froakie's head, "I don't think meeting you was an accident, Froakie. I think we're meant to be friends. What do ya say?"

Froakie smiled and clicked one of the Pokeballs that was attached to Ash's belt. The Pokeball opened, captured Froakie, and shook a few times before beeping. Ash picked it up and stared at the red and white ball with determination and took a deep breath.

"You ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu raised it's hand with excitement.

"So, where are you headed, anyway?" Misty inquired.

"Oh yeah. Uh...Pewter City!"

Misty closed her eyes and chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Ash shot back.

"I guess I'll have to help you get there so you aren't ambushed by some Pokémon from another dimension or something.." She sarcastically shrugged and began walking out the door.

"I'll be just fine!" Ash pouted.

The two comically argued back and fourth as they walked out of the Pokémon Center and followed the winding trail back into the vast forest of Route 1 as the sun peeked over them.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Alola region...

Lusamnie arched her back as she rolled around in bed sharing physical intimacy with someone under the sheets. Minutes later, the President of the Aeither Foundation let out a loud moan and attempted to catch her breath. Her lover sat up on the bed as she continued to pant for air.

"It's been too long, Mr. Ketchum," Lusamine said as she smiled with pleasure while catching her breath.

Mr. Ketchum put back on his clothes and tied his tie., "Last time we did this it was for love; not simply lust and political expediency." he replied with blank emotion.

Lusamine turned on her side with her front facing the wall. "That was a long time ago."

"You're right. Delia shattered my heart and you assured that it would never be put back together. I don't care anymore, neither should you," he said as he walked towards the door.

"Do you intend on seeing your son while you search for that Froakie in Kanto?" Lusamine asked.

Mr. Ketchum stopped by the door without moving.

"What I do with my son is none of your business. Leave him out of the nasty politics between us. It's unfortunate that innocent lives must be involved. That doesn't mean he is."

"What about your other son and your daughter?"

Mr. Ketchum was silent.

"Gladion and Lillie would love to know their father, considering I'm not the mother they deserve..."

Mr. Ketchum opened the door and left the large master bedroom without saying a word.

* * *

After being attacked by a strange Pokémon yesterday, Lillie decided to investigate. Detective Looker informed her of a possible lead, so she, against Hau's wishes, followed that lead into the tropical forest near her house, but nature had a different plan as an incoming storm ensued...

Lightning struck and thunder raddled the skies of Alola. The heavy rainfall made it nearly impossible to see in either direction. Lillie kept running into the darkness, further and further away from civilization.

Hau tried his best to keep up with her amidst the storm. "Lillie! Yo! Lillie! It's scary out here! Where are you?" He shouted.

No reply.

Hau shook his head and pressed on, despite the bad tropical weather.

Lillie tripped on something and stumbled to her knees. Without even realizing it, she found herself on a bridge that vigorously swayed back in fourth thanks to the harsh weather. She simply panicked and broke down into even more tears.

She tried to shout something but the words disappeared somewhere between her mind and mouth.

What sounded like screeching birds and flapping wings momentarily stopped her breakdown. Lillie looked up in horror to realize a flock of Spearow and Fearow were surrounding her on the bridge, diving down towards her like she was a lone worm in the middle of a field. She desperately tried to fight them off and cry for help, but between the loud storm and flock of bird Pokemon, her cries were lost.

"Momma! Da- ...DADDY! Gladion! Help me!" She shouted to the top of her lungs as she was occasionally pelted by the sharp beaks of Spearow and Fearow in between the lightning strikes and crashing thunder.

For a quick moment, Lillie was able to catch a glimpse of a dark figure on the bridge. For some reason, in that moment, the danger and tensity of the situation didn't seem to matter. It was...almost peaceful in a strange way. The figure, though she didn't know what it was or why it was there, calmed her spirit. She stood up and faced the being. Whatever it was extended it's arms and tossed something over to her. It was a strange, small purple illuminating cloud that she had noticed before. Lillie jumped and dropped the cloud after noticing it had a face. But the face was...innocent. The face did not frighten her like most Pokemon did, even though she was almost positive a Pokemon was exactly what it was. The figure motioned one of it's arms up, almost like it was pointing at the flock of Spearow and Fearow behind Lillie. She looked back at the figure and understood what she had to do in order to survive, even though she was still scared and uncertain.

"Attack!" She shouted.

The small Pokémon amassed so much energy that all Lillie could remember before blacking out was a vibrant light consuming the whole area..

* * *

 ****Flashback****

A 3-year-old Lillie and her 4-year-old brother, Gladion played on a seesaw. The sun was shining, birds were chirping and the air was fresh.

The happy scene quickly turned upside down when young Lillie and Gladion overheard arguing in the house.

"What the hell do you expect me to do, Lusamine? Ash and Delia will go poor for the rest of their lives if I don't take this job offer! I want what's best for my son!"

"What about me and your kids here!? You may be in love with her but you can't pretend like we don't exist! You shouldn't have slept with me so many times if you didn't want kids in the picture!"

"It was a mistake! Delia and Ash are my family, and I know when I explain to her that we were a careless mistake, she'll take me back again."

"Fine! Take the stupid job! Like you're ever going to become president of a region in shambles! I can't wait to see you fail! When my groundbreaking research on human and Pokemon evolution comes to light, we won't need you! Leave! Go on, leave!"

Lillie and Gladion hugged each other as the fight ensued.

"Gladion...promise you'll always wuv me even if mommy and daddy can't wuv me."

Gladion nodded, "Yeah! Always!" He assured.

 ****End Flashback****


	3. Ash catches a Pokemon and battles Leaf!

**Last time, Ash, along with his new friend, Misty, rushed Pikachu and Froakie to the Pokémon Center after a grave encounter with the strange beast from Route 1. Professor Oak hypothesized that Ash's encounter with Froakie, a Pokémon who is far away from it's native region, must be linked to seeing what could possibly be two legendary Pokémon at Route 1: The golden bird and the strange beast. Froakie decided to go along with Ash and join him on his quest to be a Pokémon Master. With strange encounters already in the books, our heroes embark on what is sure to be a wild adventure!**

* * *

"C'mon, Pikachu! The noise came from over here! I'm sure of it!" Ash enthused as he scanned the forest for what he thinks could be a Pokémon. He clinched his fists as he frantically searched every direction, "Maybe it'll be a legendary Pokémon, huh, Pikachu?" the trainer said to his electric mouse who rested calmly on his shoulder.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Don't let that get to your head, _Mr. Pokémon Master_ ," she said teasingly.

Ash poked his head out of a bush near by Misty. "Keep your comments to yourself, will ya? I'm trying to capture my first Pokémon!" He shot back.

She arched her eyebrows, "Uh...Froakie?" She said.

"I had an agreement with Froakie that didn't require a battle! Doesn't count!" He proudly insisted, as if there were something noble about it. She simply shrugged as the boy and his Pikachu kept searching.

"Ah ha! That's it!" He finally spoke up after a few silent minutes of rustling around the shrubbery.

Misty, slightly intrigued, followed his voice. Ash, with his hat turned backwards, made his way to a small field where he stood opposite to a Pidgeotto, who had been feeding.

"Wow! A Pidgeotto!" Ash exclaimed as he lifted his Pokedex.

"Pidgeotto, an evolved form of Pidgey. Pidgeotto are armed with sharp talons and dives from the sky to capture it's prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be quite aggressive." The Pokedex read.

Ash grinned and secured both of his gloves on each hand before grabbing a Pokeball from his belt. "Alright, Pidgeotto. I'll show you who's the dangerous one around here." He enlarged the ball and threw it in front of him, releasing Froakie.

"Froakie: use Bubble!" Ash commanded. Froakie spat out a stream of bubbles that did make some contact with Pidgeotto. Ash grabbed a Pokeball and chunked it at Pidgeotto, who effortlessly swatted it away.

"What are you doing? You have to weaken it more than that, ya know?" Misty shouted.

Ash turned to her with a frown. "I know what I'm doing! Why don't you keep your opinions to yourself?" He asserted as the two bickered.

After the two argued for a minute, Pikachu tugged on his trainer's shoulder and pointed at the Pidgeotto and Froakie. Pidgeotto had swooped down and hit Froakie several times, doing significant damage to the Water-type.

Ash was startled as his mind scrambled for a response.

"Call it back, you dummy! It obviously isn't going to win!" Misty shouted.

Ash nodded. "Right," he said calmly, calling back his Froakie into it's Pokeball.

"Ya know, Pikachu IS an ELECTRIC-TYPE!" She said with a flare.

Ash pointed in front of him, "Pikachu!" he said firmly. Pikachu hopped from Ash's shoulder and onto the battlefield.

Pidgeotto tried to swoop down and hit Pikachu, but the electric mouse avoided the attack.

Ash racked his brain for a plan as Pidgeotto soared around the field. "I've got it!" He said popping his fist. "Pikachu, wait for Pidgeotto and grab onto it's feet!" He commanded.

Misty appeared to be flabbergasted by the command.

Pikachu did as commanded and grabbed onto Pidgeotto's feet as it tried to attack. "Use Thundershock!" Ash commanded. Pikachu became consumed with lightning, as did Pidgeotto. Both Pokémon dropped to the ground.

Ash chunked a Pokeball at Pidgeotto, this time, after a few shakes, it was a success. He grabbed the pokeball and attempted to hold in his excitement before bursting into a celebration. "YES! I caught a Pidgeotto!" He shouted as he jumped around, once shoving the pokeball near Misty's face.

Misty shot him a dirty look, clearly not pleased with his arrogance.

"Well, well. If it isn't Ash Ketchum." A female voice said, catching both Ash and Misty's attention.

The girl emerging from the thick of the forest had light-brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a blue shirt, red skirt and a white hat.

"Oh. Hi, Leaf." Ash said, somewhat surprised to see her.

"Leaf? What a name..." Misty said under her breath.

Leaf approached Ash with her hands on her hips and a condescending look on her face. "Did I hear you say that Pidgeotto is the first Pokémon you've caught?" She asked teasingly.

Ash crossed his arms and closed his eyes, with a hint of agitation. "Yeah.. So?" He shot back.

"What a coincidence. I just beat 5 trainers who caught their first Pokémon today."

Ash fiercely held up a Pokeball and confronted her. "Yeah? I bet you won't beat me?"

"Hmm. Fine. Let's do a one-on-one. I haven't had a chance to use this Pokémon I caught while fishing south of Pallet Town," she held up a pokeball, "I used a rare deep-sea fishing rod to get it." She said with a grin.

Ash smiled, welcoming the challenge. "Yeah, well I'll use a Pokémon from a far away region!" He countered.

Leaf's expression became intrigued. "Let's do this, you'll be number six!"

Misty stood near by in a position where she could call the battle as a judge. "Go!" She declared.

"Dratini: Let's go!" Leaf said, tossing a pokeball in front of her.

"Froakie: I choose you!" Ash replied, tossing his pokeball out in front of him.

Froakie and Dratini eagerly faced each other, awaiting their command.

"A Froakie? How did you find one of those here in Kanto? On Route 1?"

Ash smirked. "What happened to me being number six?" He said teasingly.

Leaf snarled. "Dratini: Thunder Wave!" She commanded. Dratini summoned electricity that quickly surrounded Froakie, making it occasionally harder to move.

Ash clinched his fists. "Two can play it that game! Froakie: use Lick!" Froakie leaped towards Dratini and used it's long tongue to deal damage to the Dragon-type. "HA! Now you're paralyzed!" He said as electricity surrounded Dratini's body as well.

"Dratini: Twister!" Leaf wasted no time responding. Dratini whipped up a small tornado. Froakie desperately tried to avoid it, and Ash tried to come up with an answer, but it was too late. The mini tornado grabbed Froakie and slung it around the field. Froakie slowly picked itself up.

"Froakie: Bubblebeam!" Ash commanded. Froakie attempted to attack, but it's paralysis prevented it from doing so.

Leaf grinned. "Dratini: Slam!" Dratini used it's long tail to pound Froakie into the ground.

Froakie, bruises and all, once again slowly picked itself up.

Ash snarled as he nervously analyzed what his next move would be.

"It's been fun, Ketchum. This is it! Dratini: finish it off with Dragon Rage!" She commanded. Dratini summoned blue flames that formed to resemble a gaping dragon's mouth.

"Quick! Use BOUNCE!" Ash responded. Froakie sprang up 20 feet in the air as the attack hit the ground. Froakie came spiraling down towards Dratini who struggled to move due to the earlier paralysis.

"DRAGON RAGE!" Leaf commanded.

"WATER PULSE!" Ash commanded.

Both Pokémon collided with their attacks and the surrounding area shook. For a few tense moments, the result of the battle was not clear due to a large amount of dust. Both trainers shielded the dust as it slowly settled. Dratini and Froakie were both passed out on the ground.

Misty observed this and made her call. "It's a tie!" She declared.

Ash and Leaf both called their Pokémon back.

"I'll give it to you. That wasn't bad, but you have a long way to go." Leaf said as she approached Ash. He simply nodded and looked closely at Froakie's pokeball.

"Well. I have to get going. I have a lot of Pokémon to catch before the Pewter City Gym. Smell ya later!"

* * *

Ash and Misty made their way back to the Pokémon Center to get Froakie healed up after a tough battle.

"So, Ash. Have you ever battled before?" Misty asked.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. I've competed in some of Professor Oak's rental battle tournaments. I even won some."

"Well, it's good that you have experience with Pokémon who are already prepped for battle, but catching and raising your own Pokémon is a totally different story. Pikachu, Froakie and Pidgeotto are YOUR Pokémon. It's totally different now."

"Misty. Something strange happened out there..." Ash said in a surprisingly serious tone.

"What?"

"Well...for a split second, it's like I could see what Froakie was seeing. I even felt that collision at the end..."

Misty tilted her head and tried to find empathy, considering this was Ash's first time having a serious conversation with her. "Uhhh..." She struggled to find a response.

"Either way, you're right," he shook off his earlier concerns. "I have a lot to learn before I go for my first Gym Badge!"

Misty smiled as Ash allowed confidence to overtake him again.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Alola region...Lillie is being closely followed by some thugs after befriending a rare Pokémon known as Cosmog during her investigation of the strange beasts known as "Ultra Beasts". While simply tring to make their way to school, these bandits confront Lillie and Hau in the school courtyard...

Hau stared down the group of bandits and stood in front of Lille. "Listen, yo. We don't want any problems, kay?" he pleaded.

One of the grunts approached Hau and held him up by the shirt collar. "Listen, kid. The girl has something the boss wants. Got it? We don't answer to children."

Hau struggled to grab one of his Pokeballs, but the grunt had him immobilized.

The other 4 grunts slowly approached Lillie, who closely secured her bag as she tried not to panic.

"Yo. She sure would be a pretty thing to have around, huh?" one of the grunts said.

"Haha! Yeah!" another added as the grunts got closer to Lillie.

Lillie shook her head and slowly backed up before bumping into someone. She turned around in fear to notice another one of the grunts had come up behind her.

"Stop! Please!" she shouted.

A blue flame quickly engulfed the area as the bandits backed away, shielding themselves.

"What the hell was that!?" one of the grunts shouted.

Standing a couple of feet behind Lillie was Trenton Ketchum and his Drampa, the Normal/Dragon-type.

"Yo, it's President Ketchum!"

"What is he doing here! I thought we had a -"

"SHHHHHH! That's no one's business!" one of the grunt's interjected.

"Gentlemen: I think it's time for you to go." Mr. Ketchum said calmly as he walked in front of Lillie, without acknowledging her.

"Listen, Mr. Prez. That stupid girl has something in that bag worth THE BOSS' interest. So I think you might want to BACK UP and LET US GET IT."

Mr. Ketchum didn't seem fazed by the grunt's attempt to reason with him.

"I don't think you're in a position to negotiate, so why don't we just walk away from this, so there's no trouble." the politician responded.

One of the grunts confronted the president. "Listen here, pretty boy Ketchum. We don't care about your standing with the boss and President Lusamine. We don't answer to you! So get out of the way so we can take this stupid girl's bag.." the grunt fell back after being punched in the jaw by Mr. Ketchum.

Mr. Ketchum's Drampa slowly approached. "DRAGON PULSE!" He commanded. Drampa shot out an attack that caused the group to scramble.

Hau dusted himself off and approached Lillie. "Hey, you OK?" he asked.

"Yeah." she smiled and nodded to her friend.

Professor Kukui and Principle Oak ran outside after hearing of the commotion.

"Lillie! Hau! You alright!" the professor asked.

"Professor. Principle. I'm not excited about the prospect of pouring my funds into this school if my daughter is in danger." Mr. Ketchum said.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Ketchum! We will be steadfast like Lucario and defensive like Golem!" Principle Oak responded with his usual Pokémon impression antics.

"Never a dull moment around you, Principle Oak." Professor Kukui embarrassingly commented. "Truly sorry about this, Mr. Ketchum. I heard you are leaving for the Kanto region today. We'll keep a close eye on Lillie and Hau. " he went on.

Mr. Ketchum turned around and faced Lillie, who stared deeply into his eyes. He closed his eyes and bowed quickly before leaving the campus.

"Alright, kids. Let's leave this craziness behind and go back to class. There's a lot of ground to cover." Professor Kukui announced to his two students. Lillie stared intently at Mr. Ketchum as he walked away.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Last chapter, Froakie did make Xurxitree run away. I spent the majority of the first chapter, (the scientist's email to Lusamine) explaining that while Froakie's power level was average, something was odd about it. It's not an accident that I didn't elaborate on exactly what it is that makes this Froakie unique yet. Xurxitree running will make sense soon.**

 **Also, I personally reject the idea that making the characters in their late teens means they have to be these stale and mature adults all of the time. Especially as it pertains to anime, 10 and 17 aren't that far off to be honest. Ash pwning everyone in his path and acting stale is played out. I'm looking for a nice balance for the characters and it will take time. Another thing that will take time is Ash's father being implemented the way he is. I know people won't like that I'm making him Gladion and Lillie's father as well, but just give it some time. That's all I ask. Thanks for the input, everyone!**


	4. The first day of the rest of your life!

**Last time, our heroes, Ash and Misty, encountered Leaf, another trainer from Pallet Town. Ash, with his Froakie, battled Leaf and her Dratini and the battle resulted in a tie. Also, a fierce Pidgeotto joined Ash's team as he proudly marches into Pewter City, ready for his first official gym match.**

* * *

"Pewter City! We're finally here, Pikachu!" Ash announced from atop a hill, with Pikachu on his shoulder.

Misty swatted away at some branches, finally emerging from the forest. "It's about time. I don't know what I will do if I run into another Bug-type; that Caterpie was so gross!" she huffed.

Ash clinched his fist as determination filled his eyes. "This is it. Winning 8 Gym Badges is how I'll get into the Indigo League!" he exclaimed. As the trainer stepped forward, he quickly stumbled down the hill, forgetting where he stood.

An older man wearing a red toboggan and a dirty t-shirt and jeans calmly sat on a boulder where Ash fell. "You plan on beating Brock? I wouldn't be so sure of yourself. Brock is no pushover." the man said.

Ash sprang up, "Neither am I!" he shot back.

"If only his battling was as good as his talk," Misty chuckled. "I'm Misty, by the way."

"The name is Flint." The man pointed just ahead of him into the small town. "Brock's Gym is the large stone building up ahead, you can't miss it."

"Huh. Your first gym battle. Ya know, if you're really nice to me, I'll give you some advice!" Misty said with a condescending tone.

Ash gripped the straps of his backpack and dismissed her offer, looking ahead to Pewter City with confidence. "We're gonna win." he said with a firm smile.

Misty crossed her arms and closed her eyes, "Fine. I'm going shopping, in that case. Good luck, _Pokemon Master."_ she huffed.

* * *

The two wooden doors burst open as light overcame the dark gym. Stone walls covered the gym and boulders lay across the dirt battlefield.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'm here for a battle!" the trainer called out as his voice echoed in the darkness.

"How many gym badges do you have?" A voice called out. The lights revealed it was Gym Leader Brock.

"I don't have any yet!"

"Very well. We will have a two-on-two battle. Understood?"

Ash grinned as he sat his backpack to the side and grabbed two pokeballs from his belt. "Pikachu. Sit this one out, k?"

"Pika!"

"Battle, begin!" the judge declared.

"Geodude: let's go!"

"Pidgeotto: I choose you!"

"A Flying-type, huh?"

"Pidgeotto is strong! Pidgeotto: GUST!" Pidgeotto flapped it's wings together to form a small whip of wind, Geodude didn't appear to be fazed.

"ROCK THROW!" Brock commanded as Geodude hurled stones at Pidgeotto, who could not avoid the attack.

After a valiant effort, Geodude handily defeated Ash's Pidgeotto. To counter Brock's powerful Rock-types, the trainer selected his Froakie for battle. Froakie was able to use it's speed to avoid Geodude's brute strength; Rock Throw was useless.

"Froakie: use Water Pulse!" Ash commanded.

Froakie launched the water attack and it made impact, knocking Geodude out for the fight. Brock recalled his pokeball and grinned, "We're just getting started." he said. "Onix! Let's go!" The Gym Leader shouted as he summoned his gigantic rock snake Pokemon, who's head almost touched the gym ceiling.

"Wow. It's so big..." Ash said as he glanced up in awe.

"Onix: Tackle!" Onix launched itself at the small Water-type. Froakie jumped up and avoided the attack.

"Froakie: Water Pulse!" Froakie did as commanded and shot the attack at Onix, doing significant damage.

"Onix: Bind!" The colossal Rock/ground-type wrapped it's big, long rock body around Froakie, who became immobilized.

"Froakie!" Ash snarled.

Onix continued it's relentless constriction around Froakie, who could barely move. All Ash could do was watch in angst as his Pokemon struggled to fight back. "Challenger: You can't win. Will you forfeit?" Brock called out.

"Froakie..." Ash mumbled under his breath as he continued to watch.

"Frooo!" Froakie cried out as it used all of the strength it could assemble, but it was useless.

"I've got it! Froakie: Use Lick!" the trainer from Pallet Town exclaimed.

Froakie extended it's tongue out and hit Onix, disrupting its continuing attack. While Onix attempted to shake off the attack and regain strength, Ash saw an opportunity and took it. "Froakie: Use your frubbles to stick to Onix's tail!" he commanded.

Froakie took the suds around it's neck and threw them at Onix's tail, severely inhibiting its motion due to the sticky substance of the frubbles. Brock was astounded at the sheer strategy his young opponent was able to come up with during what appeared to be the final moments of the battle.

"Now, Froakie: Finish it off with Water Pulse!" Ash commanded with resounding confidence.

Froakie summoned a pulsating ball of water and threw it at Onix, knocking the massive Pokemon down in defeat.

Upon closer inspection, the judge made his final call, "Onix is unable to battle! Therefore, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is the winner of the Pewter City Gym battle, and will receive his Boulder Badge!"

Ash, Pikachu and Froakie all jumped around the gym in celebration. "WE DID IT! MY FIRST BADGE!"

"PIKA!"

"FROO!"

Misty, who had secretly entered the Gym, observed from an upstairs balcony view, "He actually won." she under her breath.

Brock sighed and recalled his Onix before finally allowing a slight smile as he watched Ash celebrate with his Pokemon.

* * *

Ash walked down the dirt roads leading out of Pewter City, holding his Boulder Badge up in the orange sunset light as he gazed into it. Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader, followed closely behind.

"Hey, Ash. Are you sure it's OK if I come along with you on your journey?" Brock asked.

"Of course; the more the merrier! I think everyone deserves to leave home and follow their dreams!"

Brock smiled and nodded. "The way you command your Pokemon is exceptional. If I can gather my skills as a breeder like you have as a trainer, we're in for one memorable journey!"

Ash nodded. "Sure thing!"

"But, uh... What about that girl following us?"

Ash closed his eyes and rested his joined hands behind his head as he calmly continued walking. "Beats me. She must like me or something." he responded arrogantly.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Misty shot back as she picked up speed. "Let's try to lose her!" Ash jokingly told Pikachu as he took off down the road in front of him.

And with that, Ash, Bock and Misty made their way into the rocky mountains of Route 3.

* * *

Elsewhere, in a two-story house on the outskirts of Vermilion City, a young trainer prepares to start her journey...

The morning sunlight beamed in through the window of seventeen-year-old Serena Parish's room. Her room was on the second floor of her mother's two story house; there were Pokemon dolls spread all over on dressers and the pink-carpeted floor. Serena is a beautiful blue-eyed, dirty blonde hair young woman, but her morning look certainly wasn't her best with all of the Miltank licks on her head and the snoring power of a Snorlax. The window had been cracked open and a Pidgey flew right in and landed on top of Serena's head, still covered by the comforter. Pidgey pecked Serena only to be swatted away by her.

"Why did you have to wake me up like that!?" she screamed as she attempted and failed to grasp Pidgey, who safely made its way out of the window. "Mom! Why can't you let me sleep?!" she shouted in anger as she plopped back on her bed.

The Pidgey that awoke Serena flew into the downstairs window and landed just above the sink to be greeted with a pat on the head from Serena's mother, Grace. "Thank you, Pidgey. Today is the first day of Serena's journey, she knows better than to sleep all day on a day like this. Pidgey cooed as Grace patted it with one hand and tended to dirty dishes with the other.

Serena sprang up out of bed and stretched. She opened the window and gazed outside into the warm, sunny weather. "Today is the first day of the rest of my life!" she said as the light wind slightly lifted her hair.

* * *

Meanwhile, far away in the Alola region...

Lillie and Hau both occupied her room in her large mansion that stood tall on an estate owned by her mother. Lillie sat at a desk near the window while Hau lied down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, tossing a ball up and down.

"So, let me get this straight.." Hau said, breaking the silence.

"Yes?" Lillie inquired, without taking her eyes off of her work.

"You were trying to get to the Altar of the Moone the other day to learn more out about Lunala and Solgaleo?"

"Yup."

"Because you think they're linked to the wormholes?"

"Correct."

"The wormholes are connected to the Ultra Beasts, right?"

"That's right."

"And while on your way there, you get attacked by Spearow, and a figure on the bridge gives you that Cosmog?"

"Yes."

"Was the figure...a person?"

"Can't say. Someone could be on to my investigation, so they followed me. The question is, why give me a Cosmog?"

"Hmmm..." Hau stopped throwing the ball so he could think.

"My father is traveling to the Kanto region. The news is claiming the purpose of his travels is to discuss wormholes with Professor Oak, but I don't buy it. Both of my parents have been studying this field for some time. They wouldn't be so loose with top secret info... Hau: come to the Kanto region with me!"

"Wait, wha?" Hau asked with a goofy yet curious expression.

Lillie looked at him and firmly nodded. "I think he was the one on that bridge. He is the one who gave me Cosmog. If he's following me and going to the Kanto region, he is hiding something. And it is directly related to the Ultra Beasts and wormholes! Yes! We're going to the Kanto region!"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I appreciate all of the reviews! If I don't directly respond to your review, and you want me to, please dm me and I will. I am open to any and all input!**


	5. Water Flowers of Cerulean City

"Gary was here? Ash is a loser?!" Ash read words scribbled on a road sign in disgust. The road sign is supposed to direct travelers to Cerulean City.

"Gary?" Brock asked.

Ash turned his back to the sign and snarled. "He's my rival," he responded, fuming with anger.

"Well at least we're about to finally reach Cerulean City." Brock stated.

"Heeeyyyy!" Misty, who had been lagging behind shouted as she caught up to Ash and Brock. She stopped a second to catch her breath, "where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"I know where I'm going; I'm going to Cerulean City since that's where the next badge is."

"No! Uh, ya see, you can't go there! There are scary ghost-type Pokemon there!"

Ash and Brock looked at each other with skepticism before continuing on.

For some unknown reason, Misty continued to plead her case to Ash and Brock not to go in Cerulean City. Despite this, Ash persisted that he much go into the city, find the gym and win his next badge so he can gain entry into the Indigo League. Misty watched desperately as the two trainers made their way into the city.

* * *

 **Meanwhile,** a couple hundred miles off the coast of Vermilion City, over the seas of Kanto, Mr. Ketchum calmly gazes out the window of his first class flight.

"Sir. If I may, something has been on my mind this whole flight." An assistant of Mr. Ketchum's said.

Mr. Ketchum took a sip from his glass. "Yes?"

"How are we going to be able to find this Froakie? How can we be certain it is still in the Kanto region?"

Mr. Ketchum chuckled. "So you still don't gt it?"

The assistant simply stared blankly at Mr. Ketchum.

"This is all part of a bigger plan."

"A bigger plan?"

"We're playing chess with Lusamine and the Aeither Foundation. And we're winning."

"May I ask how?"

"As you know, I was the one who discovered that Froakie in the Lapidarian Highlands, my home region.."

The assistant nodded.

"I was the one who sent it to the Aeither Foundation, under the alias of a trainer who no longer wanted his starter Pokemon."

The assistant again nodded. "Yes, but that doesn't explain why you chose to do that. Or how you know where to find it?"

Mr. Ketchum gazed out of his window and put his glass in the cup holder on his arm rest. "Did you know most acclaimed scientists postulate that Pokemon and humans came from the same species over the course of millions of years?"

"I vaguely understand the theory," he responded.

"You see, after Pokemon and humans eventually split off into separate species, they were still intertwined emotionally and psychologically for thousands of years after the split. Our ancestors thousands of years ago utilized Pokemon for colonization and war differently than we do, since they understood this connection. Mega evolution and Z-moves are desperate attempts by modern science to recapture this method."

"What method are you referring to?"

Mr. Ketchum grinned. "Our ancestors had different labels for it: Synchro-evolution. Battle bond. This practice could only work if the trainer and Pokemon were in perfect synchronization in mind, body and spirit."

"So... I don't get it. Are you saying..."

"Yes. Froakie has this gift. The practice was eventually banned for two primary reasons: one, governments and scientists feared that it would be unstoppable if properly mastered. Two, humans who couldn't control this ability usually died in battle after sharing pain with their Pokemon. So naturally, Pokemon who still carried this ability died off and weren't able to reproduce and pass it on. Even so, it's speculated that some final handful of Pokemon around the world still carry the ability. Froakie is one of those rare examples. Knowing this, I sent it to Lusamine's lab, with the foreknowledge that her experiments would fail, severely destabilizing her plans."

"How did you find Froakie in the first place? How did you know it had this near extinct ability?"

"An elder woman in my region who is one of the last remaining people deeply connected to one of the existing tribes that practiced this form of battle for generations. Even after it was banned by governments around the world, they were able to do so in secret, in order to preserve their culture. I found her and took Froakie from her while it was still a baby."

"What became of the woman?"

"She had to be taken care of, for a greater good."

"And that good is stopping Lusamine?"

"Ha. Indeed."

"Why not just train up the Froakie yourself and stop her?"

"No. She has to think I'm on her side and that there is still hope, even with this Froakie on the loose. I'm not as close as I want to be to some of the specifics. She can't be stopped until I have more information. In the meantime, I'm planting a seed."

"So, if this is all a part of your plan, where is your Froakie? How is it going to get stronger if you can't control it?"

"I can't tell you that just yet. A genius doesn't reveal all of his secrets. Relax, Colress. You have a bright future. You'll see soon enough that patience is required for the greatest strategies."

* * *

"So Brock. Who is the gym trainer here, anyway?" Ash asked with his hands locked behind his head as they made their way through the city.

"I've actually never met the trainer here."

"Really? Well, what kind of Pokemon do they use?"

Brock put his hand on his chin, "Hmm..."

"Special moves?" Ash pestered.

"Sorry Ash. I have to keep all of that confidential as a gym leader."

Ash pouted.

"If you battle the same way you did against me, you'll be just fine. Anyway, I have some business I need to take care of while I'm in town. I'll meet up with you at the Pokemon Center later, alright?"

"Yeah, OK."

Brock and Ash split up, and the trainer from Pallet could see the gym on the horizon. It looked almost like a building for an aquarium. "Geez, Misty actually stopped following us." Ash said to Pikachu, who frowned after realizing the fiery trainer was no longer present.

The trainer eagerly entered the gym, surprised at the scene he witnessed once he entered. Three beutiful women in bathing suits performed in a large pool. They dazzled the crowd with impressive stunts using a Seel and Goldeen.

"Wow..." Ash commented as he and Pikachu watched in amazement.

After the performance, Ash followed the girls into a large hallway that was actually built into an aquarium on both sides.

"That was great, but I'm, like, so exhausted." one of the girls stated.

"Tell me about it." another added.

"Excuse me!"

The three girls turned around and noticed Ash and Pikachu.

"Um, sorry, we like, don't allow interviews unless you've talked with our manager."

Ash shook his head, "No, it isn't that."

"We only do pictures before the show.." another one of the girls asserted.

"I'm not here for any of that. I just want to battle the gym trainer here!" Ash shot back.

"You're, like, looking at the gym leaders."

"Uhh... Really?"

"Totally. But, the thing is..."

Another one of the sisters interjected, "We just lost two battles back to back with these trainers from this nowhere place called _Pallet."_

"Gary and Leaf..." Ash snarled.

"Yeah. They like, beat all of our Pokemon and we had to rush them to the Pokemon Center."

"But now, we have time to perform and look beautiful for the crowd!"

"Well, how can I get my badge from here?" Ash pouted.

"Look, since all we have is this weak Goldeen, we'll like, give you the badge. OK?"

"Give me the badge? I'd rather earn it..."

"A badge is a badge, just take it!" one of the sisters insisted, holding out the water drop-shaped Cascade Badge.

Ash hesitantly approached her.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" A voice called out from the other end of the hallway.

"Misty!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika!" Pikachu enthused.

"That's right! If you three won't battle him, I will!" she proclaimed.

"Well, well. If it isn't our runt sister.."

"Sister!?" Ash shouted with shock, looking back and fourth at Misty and her sisters.

"I thought you weren't going to come back here until you were, like, a master water trainer.."

Misty's anger dropped for a second, "I guess I did say something like that.."

"That's why Misty was so against coming here earlier..." Ash said under his breath.

"Is he your boyfriend? Not my choice, but then again, you aren't all that great either." one of the sisters teased.

Ash fell to the ground in embarrassment and Misty snarled, "Look, none of that matters now. I'm not going to stand here and let you give him a badge! So I'm going to battle him! Two-on-two!"

The sisters looked at each other and nodded with pity.

* * *

And so, the battle between Ash and Misty ensued.

"Alright, Pikachu. Let's go!" Ash commanded. Pikachu hesitated and pointed at Misty with a guilty, refusing expression. "Huh? You don't want to battle Misty?"

"Aw! Thanks, Pikachu!" Misty shouted from the other side of the pool.

Ash looked up and grinned as he removed a pokeball from his belt, enlarged it and tossed it onto the floating platform in the pool, "Fine. Froakie, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Froakie emerged from the light and sat calmly on the platform opposite Misty.

"Alright, Misty calls: Staryu!" she said, tossing her pokeball onto her platform.

"HIYYYAA" Staryu opposed Froakie.

"Staryu: Rapid Spin!" Misty abruptly commanded. Staryu spun it's body like a shuriken as it quickly skipped across the pool.

"Froakie: dive under water!" Ash responded as his Pokemon just evaded Staryu by a hair, disappearing under water.

* * *

Serena left her house, tightly gripping the straps of her small bag. She got down and greeted her mom's Rhyhorn in the front yard before leaving.

"Rhyhorn, I start my journey today!"

"Hooorrrrrnnnn." Rhyhorn happily greeted her as she patted the large Pokemon on the head.

She stood up and gazed into the bright blue sky. "I have a great feeling about my journey! I'm so excited!" she enthused. "Alright, Rhyhorn, I'm off to Professor Oak's assistant's lab so I can get my starter Pokemon!" Serena waved as she confidently hit the dirt road in front of her house, looking back one last time and taking a deep breath before continuing on.

* * *

Lillie and Hau sat next to each other as the plane they boarded made its way to the Kanto region. Lillie stared out the window, lost in thought.

"Yo. What's on your mind?" Hau asked.

"Before we left, I did some snooping in my mom's office at home. She doesn't come home much, so I wasn't able to find much, but I did find something about a Pokemon that baffled her researchers.."

"Oh?"

Lillie turned her attention to Hau and nodded. "A Froakie. I don't know why she was so fixated on this Froakie, the writings were scattered and vague. But one thing is clear: this Froakie is important. She wants it."

"You think your pops... I mean, uh, your father knows something about this Froakie?"

"It's just a hunch. Call it a weird feeling. I just know my father is up to something. I can't prove it, but I think he's the one who gave me Nebby, and I also think he has something to do with this Froakie."

"Nebby?" Hau inquired.

Lillie was confused for a moment before realizing something, "Oh, yeah, I named Cosmog Nebby." she said with a giggle.

"That's some name." Hau said as they both shared a laugh.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in Cerulean...**

"Water Gun!" Misty commanded as Staryu shot out a stream of water.

"Water Pulse!" Ash responded as his Froakie countered the attack, colliding and causing a struggle in the middle. Ash and Misty both watched intently.

 ***Lillie and Hau's POV***

"I got the feeling reading her notes that she's... afraid of this Froakie. It's almost like she fears it. The wormholes and ultra beasts excite her, they always have. But this Froakie, this is the first time I've gotten the feeling that she thinks she isn't in control. Everything else she talked about has been hers. But this Froakie scares her.. Why?" Lillie said while looking out of the window.

 ***Ash and Misty's POV***

Staryu continued to try and corner Froakie, but it simply could not. Froakie used its speed and power to overwhelm Staryu and weaken it in on its own playing field.

"Froakie: FINISH IT OFF WITH WATER PULSE!" Ash commanded. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of the battle from Froakie's perspective. He saw everything. The formation of the pulsating attack and the collision with Staryu. He felt the attack. Almost as if he and Froakie were one as it launched.

 ***Lillie and Hau's POV***

"What is is about this thing that scares her?" Lillie pondered intently. Suddenly, lights started flashing and the plane started dipping up and down. Passengers fell out of their seats and Hau grabbed Lillie and pulled her closely as she screamed.

"Attention passengers! This is an emergency situation! Please grab your masks and breathe. Try to remain calm!" A panicking, uneasy voice of the pilot announced over the intercom.

"Hau! I'm scared!" Lillie screamed as she buried her face in his shoulder.

Hau gritted his teeth as he held her tightly. "This is not good," he said as the plane appeared to go from very rough turbulence to a straight nose dive. Lillie's bag began to shake and emit a strange light...

* * *

Back in Vermilion City, Mr. Ketchum and his assistant, Colress, met with an aide of Professor Oak's at his lab.

"Wow. That's, um, quite the story." Professor Oak's aide said as he tried to analyze what he had been told.

"Of course, I trust you with this information. Oak is a longtime friend, I know I can trust that he will do what is right and side with us." Mr. Ketchum said with persuasion.

The aide was slightly skeptical.

"Um, sorry to interrupt. But I'm here for my starter Pokemon." Serena softly, nervously spoke up from the entrance of the lab.

"Oh, you must be Serena." the aide said, thankful to have a distraction. Mr. Ketchum held his arm out and stopped the aide from approaching Serena.

"How long have you been standing there?" Mr. Ketchum asked Serena, with malice in his voice.

Serena froze in fear.

* * *

After slowly regaining consciousness, Hau awoke to the sound of crashing waves on what appeared to be the beach of an island.

"Wh... Where... Lillie!" He noticed Lillie lying on her front, motionless a few feet away. While shaking her and trying to help her wake up, Hau stopped as he noticed something that terrified him.

Lillie slowly awoke, "Hau... Where are we?" she softly asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Lillie. Are Charizards supposed to be 60 feet tall?" he asked in horror.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Quick note: I tried to use two things that are cannon in the pokemon universe, but not extensively covered in this chapter.**

 **Lapidarian Highlands is a cannon region in the anime. Diantha refers to it in the XY series, but beyond that, we don't know anything about it. So this is where Mr. Ketchum lives and has major political influence.**

 **Also, it is a cannon implication/theory/legend that pokemon and humans were once the same species, according to bulbapedia and several other accounts from the games.**

 **And, of course "battle bond" is Ash-Greninja's ability. The anime gives us very little info about its origins, the games gives us none.**


	6. Cascade Badge and the Hidden Village!

**Last time, our heroes finally arrived to Cerulean City, in search of Ash's second badge at the Cerulean Gym. Upon meeting the Cerulean Gym sisters, Ash is informed that they have no available Pokemon left! However, Misty stepped in and challenged Ash to a battle since HER sisters were not able to do it themselves. Froakie defeated Staryu, and once again, Ash and Froakie are witnessing strange things during battle.. Also, following Mr. Ketchum to the Kanto region has put Lillie and Hau on a plane that crashed on a remote island near Kanto with... gigantic Pokemon?! And finally, Serena visited Professor Oak's aide in Vermilion City for her first Pokemon! But with Mr. Ketchum discussing his business there, did Serena hear too much?!**

* * *

"Pidgeotto: use Agility!" Ash commanded. Pidgeotto multiplied false images of itself using its exceptional speed. Starmie's Water Gun attack hit one of the duplicates. "Now, give it a Gust to blow it away!" he said as a follow up command. Pidgeotto flapped its wings rapidly and whipped up a gust storm, twirling Starmie around the large swimming pool battle field.

"Starmie: keep using Water Pulse!" Misty responded. Starmie, while being twirled around relentlessly, shot out a succession of attacks that mostly missed Pidgeotto and hit the walls of the stadium. However, one attack did hit Pidgeotto.

"Recover and finish Starmie off with QUICK ATTACK!" Ash hastily commanded. Pidgeotto shook off the Water Pulse and darted towards Starmie, sending it crashing beyond Misty and into the walls. Starmie lay motionless as its emerald blinked on and off, signifying it was unable to battle.

Misty sighed and recalled her Starmie. She smiled graciously at the pokeball. "You battled hard out there, I'm so proud of you!" the water trainer said to her Pokemon.

A smile slowly erupted on Ash's face as Daisy declared him the winner of the match and the Cascade badge. "We did it! We really did it! We beat Misty!" Ash shouted with joy as he jumped onto the platform in the pool and hugged his Pidgeotto and Pikachu tightly. The two Pokemon smiled and licked their trainer's face. Misty noticed this and couldn't help but be happy for the kind, but slightly arrogant kid she met on Route 1. She took a deep breath and walked around the pool to meet him.

"Ash, I have to say. I didn't think you would be able to beat me, especially without Pikachu. But you did, and you've deserved this badge," she said opening up his hand and placing the badge there.

"Misty..." Ash said smiling at his friend.

* * *

Everyone gathered outside the gym as Ash and Misty prepared to leave.

"Misty, you just keep on doing your best to be a water master. You might as well, because you'll never be stars like us," Lily said teasingly.

"You keep that up, you'll be seeing stars!" Misty shot back as her sisters giggled.

"Chill out!" Violet said with a laugh.

"Misty, be careful. You know we love you." Daisy said in a more serious tone.

Misty smiled and nodded.

"Ya know, our cousin in the Johto region was telling us about a big tournament for serious water trainers next week," Daisy added.

"Really?" Misty asked with intrigue.

"Misty, here: take this Vermilion Airport ticket and go. We know it's what you want to do," Daisy said, handing Misty a ticket.

"You guys... this is so sweet.." Misty said as he eyes began to water with happiness.

"You better, like, win." Violet said teasingly.

Misty dried her tears and firmly smiled, "Yeah! I will!" she said with confidence.

"Ash, please take care of her and make sure she gets to Vermilion City," Lily said smiling.

"I can get there just fine! You really think I need this kid's help!" Misty huffed and crossed her arms.

"Well... he did beat you in the match." Violet said giggling. Misty opened one of her eyes and glared at her as the rest of the group laughed.

"Yo! Ash! Hey, man!" a voice said from behind them, breaking the moment.

"Hey, Brocko!" Ash responded.

"I see you got your badge!" Brock said.

Ash clutched his badge, "Yeah, we did it, Brock!" he shouted.

"Great! Lets get going! Vermilion City is where your next badge will be!"

"Right!" Ash enthused as they went on their way.

"You're not leaving without me!" Misty shouted as she caught up to them.

"Misty, you're not going to be a sore loser now, are you?"

"You got lucky! I would have won if I would have used my Seel and Shellder!" she shot back as the two bickered. Misty's sisters giggled as they watched the trio disappear into the city.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the lab of Professor Oak's aide in Vermilion City...

Serena nervously backed away slowly. "Seriously, I didn't hear anything. I'm just here for my starter!" she pleaded with fear in her voice.

Mr. Ketchum walked over to confront her. Colress stepped in front of Oak's aide, who attempted to follow Mr. Ketchum and protect Serena. "Mr. Ketchum, this is a new trainer highly recommended by the Professor. Please, leave her out of this business!" the aide pleaded.

Mr. Ketchum stood just feet away from Serena who was paralyzed with fear. "Highly recommended, huh?" the man said in an oddly mischievous manner. "Tell me, Serena. What are you planning on doing with your starter Pokemon? A trainer? Racer? Breeder? Ranger? Officer? Researcher?" he asked.

Serena gulped and tried to remain calm, hoping she could talk her way out of this. "I want to be a performer, sir." she replied nervously.

"Ah. A performer." he said putting his hands in his pockets wearing a smile that was quite unusual and unfitting for the moment. "That's wonderful. The entertainment industry is important. A great way for brilliant students like yourself to use their gifts with Pokemon to craft performances everyone can enjoy during these dark times..."

Serena continued watching him intently.

"Tell me something else. Are you familiar with President Lusamine of the Alola region?" he asked.

"Yeah. My mom has talked about her and I've seen some things on the news. She's a powerful business and political figure who is responsible for groundbreaking research in the field of wormholes and alternate universes."

"Correct. But what you probably don't know, is that the woman is evil, spiteful, manipulative and will stop at nothing to expand her influence until she is untouchable." he responded. Serena simply continued staring at him. "You see, right here in the Kanto region, President Lusamine is getting ready to purchase Silph Co., turning it into an expansion of the Aeither Foundation. Little do the people of Kanto know, this is NOT a simple business move for the sake of more research. This is a move designed to control the Kanto region. Lance and the Kanto government are weak and easily manipulated. They will soon bow down to President Lusamine, all because they sat on their hands while she built on to her already powerful empire right here in Kanto."

"That sounds crazy! She's a scientist!" Serena shot back, allowing her skepticism to ignore fear and speak.

Mr. Ketchum chuckled. "Yes, that's what she wants you to think. I'm the only figure on this side of the civilized planet doing anything to stop her."

"Even if I believed you, why are you telling me all of this?!" Serena asked.

"Because more people need to know that I'm not the bad guy. I'm tired of keeping this a secret. You overheard my plans anyway, so I thought you deserved the full context. Besides, no one will believe any of this, anyway."

"I just want to pick my starter and move on.." Serena said, trying to distance herself from Mr. Ketchum's aspirations and theories.

"Please. Join me. I need a resistance of young trainers to rise up and fight her."

"My mom told me you've been linked to some really bad things.."

"Your mom is right. I have done things with my political influence that I'm not proud of. But most of it is because I see a dark future on the horizon."

Serena stared at the ground, filled with conflicting emotions.

Mr. Ketchum closed his eyes and turned away from her. "Very well. Something about you encouraged me to talk to you and try and save you. I don't know what it was, but you have the right to pursue your goals however you see fit. Just know this: a tipping point is coming soon. And if it tips in Lusamine's direction like she wants, the bad things I've done will look like child's play. If my son can't stop her, you might not have a future as a performer to pursue under her rule."

Serena continued to lose herself in thought as Mr. Ketchum and Colress left the lab.

"Serena, I'm really sorry about all of that." the aide said, walking over to her and making sure she is OK.

Serena looked up and smiled. "I'm fine. But, um, do you think there is anything true about what he was saying?"

"I really don't know. Mr. Ketchum is a very respected leader in his region, but he is also highly controversial and it is really difficult to pin down his beliefs sometimes..." the aide responded.

Serena nodded and attempted to shake off the odd encounter.

"Anyway, I have your Pokemon back here! This Eevee is of a very shy nature, but we're very excited to see it raised by someone like you!" the aide said.

Serena struggled to contain her excitement. "Yes! This is it! My first Pokemon!" she exclaimed with erupting enthusiasm.

* * *

Later that day, Ash and company continued on through the forest to make their way to Vermilion City, and Ash's third badge. Along the way, they encountered a Bulbasaur! With Ash taking interest in the grass-type, he tried and failed to capture it. After following it for a second attempt, the Pokemon led them to a hidden village in the woods, where a young woman named Melanie, who Brock fell in love with immediately, keeps stray Pokemon who are weak and protects them from outside dangers. Bulbasaur lives at this village and helps protects them. However, as our heroes arrived to the village, a group of poachers discovered this village and attempted to capture the Pokemon for themselves..

"Step back or else, kids! These Pokemon belong to us!" one of the poachers threatened.

"Like we're gonna let that happen! Pikachu: go get 'em!" Ash shot back.

"You too, Staryu!" Misty added, sending out her Staryu.

"Geodude: lets go!" Brock said, sending out his rock-type.

Pikachu, Staryu and Geodude battled against the poachers and their Koffing, Raticate and Arbok. Bulbasaur, standing in front of the Pokemon of the village, watched closely as Ash commanded his Pikachu with a seriousness that could only be motivated by a deep care for the Pokemon of the village and their safety.

"Pikachu: finish them off with Thundershock!" Ash commanded. Pikachu sent a wave of lightning that severely shocked the poachers and their Pokemon. Realizing they simply could not win, the poachers fled.

"We did it!" Misty shouted.

Brock approached Melanie. "Melanie, everyone is safe now. I told you I wouldn't allow anything to happen.

"Thank you all so much, I can't possibly tell you how much this means to me!" she responded.

"Everyone here is safe with Bulbasaur around, for sure!" Ash enthused, giving the grass-type credit for helping before the trainers got there.

Bulbasaur smiled at Ash and the others, "Buuullllbbbbaaa"

"Ash. Don't you agree that Bulbasaur would make a great addition to your team?" Melanie asked.

"Oh yeah! Of course!" Ash responded to the theoretical question without hesitation.

"I think Bulbasaur should go with you," she said, picking Bulbasaur up.

Ash suddenly became surprised after realizing she wasn't being hypothetical.

"Bulbasaur has been staying here to protect the village, but I fear it's just too small here. The bulb on its back needs to bloom. It needs to go out into the world and explore. And I know you will take such good care of it! Please do me this favor: take Bulbasaur with you on your journey! He will be a good companion."

Ash stared intently at Bulbasaur and the other Pokemon staying there.

"You see, the Pokemon here have become too dependent on Bulbasaur. It's just too safe here. I want them to heal, get stronger, and head out on their own once they are able! And hopefully they will find great trainers like you! Of course, taking care of injured Pokemon will always be my mission, but I know that I haven't done my job until I get them back on their feet so they can safely return to where they've come from, whether that's living happily in he wild or happily with a good trainer! I want Bulbasaur to be in a place where it can truly grow and be happy! And I'm sure that place is with you, Ash!"

Bulbasaur turned to Melanie and tried to say something in its own way.

"What did Bulbasaur say?" Misty asked.

Melanie chuckled. "Bulbasaur wants to come with Ash, on one condition: it has a battle with him first!" she replied.

Ash received a spark of enthusiasm. "Of course!" he responded.

* * *

Ash and Froakie faced Bulbasaur in an open field near Melanie's cabin.

Bulbasaur extended its vines and whipped Froakie twice. "Froakie: jump up and use Bubblebeam!" Ash commanded. Froakie shot out a stream of bubbles that made impact; Bulbasaur recovered easily and used Razor Leaf attack, doing significant damage to Froakie.

"Froakie!" Ash called out.

Bulbasaur extended his vines once again. "Froakie: use your frubbles on the vines!" he exclaimed. Froakie used the suds around its neck to stick to Bulbasaur's vines, making it difficult to use them. Bulbasaur struggled to recover.

"Now! Use Water Pulse!" Ash commanded. Froakie formed the attack and launched it in Bulbasaur's direction, knocking the grass-type starter on his back. Ash turned his hat backwards and grabbed a pokeball. "Pokeball, go!" Ash said, tossing the pokeball.

The pokeball moved around a few seconds before stopping.

"Yeeesssss! I caught Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted gleefully as he picked the ball up and jumped around.

"Piiiii Pikachu!" Pikachu enthused.

Melanie smiled and sighed. "I'll miss you, Bulbasaur..." she said under her breath.

Ash, Brock and Misty all said goodbye to Melanie and the Pokemon at the village. Melanie bent down to pet Bulbasaur, "Bulbasaur, thank you for watching over us." she said gently.

"Buuullbbaaa."

"I promise I'll take good care of Bulbasaur!" Ash assured.

Brock blushed and approached Melanie. "So Melanie, since Bulbasaur is leaving, what about I stay and help you out?" he asked bashfully.

"That's very kind of you, but we'll be fine. I wouldn't want to keep you from all of your adventures," she replied with a warm smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Brock responded, trying not to reveal his rejected sadness.

With that, Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu and Bulbasaur all walked away, waving at Melanie and the Pokemon.

"Sooooo. What did Melanie say when you told her you loved her?" Misty asked Brock teasingly.

Brock nervously put his hand over her mouth, "That's enough questions!" Brock said as his face turned red.

"Uh, did I miss something?" Ash asked as he watched his friends.

"Bulba?" Bulbasaur tilted his head.

With Ash catching Bulbasaur, it looks like he is building his own dream team. Now, our heroes head to Vermilion City as the journey continues...

* * *

Meanwhile, a 60 feet tall Charizard chased Hau and Lillie as they scrambled for safety.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHERE ARE WE?!" Hau shouted.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Lillie responded as she tried to hold on to her hat and bag as she ran.

* * *

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 **(A/N) Thanks for reading!**


	7. 100,000 Volts

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* * *

After two days of traveling, Ash, Misty and Brock finally arrive to the gates of Vermilion City. Covered in dirt and bad odor, the three trainers nearly broke down in tears as they gazed into the large city.

Ash dropped that crinkled map and the three trainers, along with Pikachu, celebrated. "HIP HIP, HOORAY! HIP, HIP, HOORAY!" they shouted with joy.

"I can't wait to take a hot bubble bath!" Misty fantasized.

"I have to hit the laundry mat.." Brock shamelessly added.

"I'm going to find the gym!" Ash exclaimed as he balled up his fists with excitement and marched towards the gates, before being pulled back by Brock. "Hold it!" Brock asserted. He pointed down at Pikachu, who lay desperately tired and hungry on the ground.

"We haven't had a decent meal since yesterday!" Brock reminded.

Ash picked up Pikachu, "You hungry, buddy?" he asked as his own stomach embarrassingly growled. "Ha ha, I guess we should all stop by the Pokemon Center and grab a bite.." the trainer admitted.

* * *

Ash and the gang sat around a table at the PokeCenter enjoying a meal. Ash immersed himself into his plate as Misty, Brock and Pikachu ate at a normal pace.

"You eat like a Tepig. You know that?" Misty said to Ash.

"Yeah, whatever. This is good.." Ash replied in between bites.

Misty, Brock and Pikachu all stopped eating and glared behind Ash, who realized what they were doing and stopped, blinking at them with a clueless expression. Just then, someone placed their hand on Ash's shoulder. "Son. You might want to slow down a bit," a voice spoke gently. Ash quickly turned around to realize, much to his surprise, that the voice came from his father, Trent Ketchum.

"Dad. Uhh.. Long time no see," Ash phlegmatically greeted.

Misty swiftly approached Mr. Ketchum and extended her hand out to him. "Wow. Who knew Ash's father could be so handsome? I mean, surely Ash didn't get his looks from you.."

"Hey!" Ash snapped.

"Hi there! I'm Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader!" Brock said with a smile.

"And I'm Misty! Leader of the Cerulean City Gym!" Misty said with a bubbly tone.

"Good to meet you all. I'm glad to see my son is surrounding himself with competent people. By the way, this is my assistant, Colress," Mr. Ketchum responded.

"So what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years.." Ash said to his father.

"I know, son. I've had a lot of things going on in my home region. I've come to Kanto on some important business."

"Oh."

"I've been in contact with Professor Oak about your journey, so I figured I'd run into you here. We've been staying at a hotel in the city, doing some research."

Ash couldn't really come up with an appropriate response. He simply tried to piece together why his father expressed sudden interest in what he was doing.

"How about a battle? I want to test my son's strength!" he said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Uhh, sure!" the boy from Pallet responded.

Everyone gathered at the back of the PokeCenter on the dirt battlefield.

Mr. Ketchum held up a pokeball, "I'm going to use a Pokemon I recently captured." he said. "Charmander: come on out!" Mr. Ketchum released a somewhat timid Charmander onto the field.

"Aww. It's a Charmander! I love it!" Ash commented. He looked down at Pikachu, "You ready?" he asked.

"Professor Oak told me about another Pokemon of yours I'd like to see," Mr. Ketchum said in a slightly ominous manner.

"I bet you mean Froakie!" Ash responded. Mr. Ketchum smiled. "Yes, that's the one. Show me Froakie." Ash smiled, turned his hat backwards and tossed Froakie's pokeball onto the field.

"Frrooooo," Froakie, eyes closed as usual, calmly opposed Charmander.

"Alright, son. Let's see what you've learned. Charmander: Scratch!"

"Froakie: dodge and use Water Pulse!" Ash replied. Froakie jumped up and launched the attack at Charmander, who received significant damage.

"Fire Spin!" Mr. Ketchum responded. Charmander swung its tail, summoning spiraling fire around Froakie.

 _"He's testing Froakie. What is his endgame? His planning seems so, unstable and random. Is in control as much as he thinks he is?"_ Colress thought to himself.

Ash clinched his fists, "Froakie: jump up and use Bubblebeam!" he commanded. The attack emerged from the middle of the spiraling fire and hit Charmander, knocking it out cold.

Colress held up his right hand, "That's it! Ash is the winner!" he declared.

Mr. Ketchum gracefully accepted defeat as he congratulated his son on the battle. He gave Charmander a potion and held it in his arms. Charmander appeared to be very friendly towards Mr. Ketchum.

"That's a fine Pokemon, son."

Ash allowed Froakie to jump on his shoulder and nodded. "Thanks. Froakie has helped me out a lot so far!"

"Your Pokemon will be the lightning rod you need when you're in the middle of a fierce storm.. Don't forget that." Mr. Ketchum said as he patted Charmander on the head. "Son. I want you to have this Pokemon.."

Ash widened his eyes and looked at Charmander. "Me?" he asked.

Colress became particularly intrigued.

Mr. Ketchum continued to pet Charmander while speaking, "I'm not going to pretend to have been the perfect father to you, Ash. Your mother and I have had our problems. I've certainly had problems. But I want to be a part of your life now. I want to see you befriend Pokemon like I wish I could have."

"Why don't you take Charmander?" Ash asked.

"This Pokemon was previously owned by an abusive trainer. It needs someone who can treat it with all of the love and attention in the world."

Ash closely examined Charmander.

"This Charmander may not seem strong now, but I guarantee you it can be. I know potential when I see it. Take the Charmander, son. It needs someone like you, not someone like me.."

Ash smiled and nodded. After a few minutes of playing with Charmander, Ash introduced it to all of his other Pokemon. "Welcome to the group!" he said, releasing Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur and Froakie. Pikachu joined in and the Pokemon played around with each other for a few minutes. Charmander assimilated to the group rather quickly, particularly getting along with Froakie.

"So. Have you challenged the Vermilion Gym yet?" Mr. Ketchum asked.

"Not yet. I'm going there as soon as possible!"

"Ash, Lt. Surge is really strong. I hope you're ready for this." Brock asserted.

"You got lucky with us." Misty said in a conceited tone as she folded her arms.

"Did not!" Ash shot back.

"I'd love to come and be there for you, son."

Ash smiled and nodded. "Sure!"

* * *

Accompanied by his father and Colress, Ash and the gang enter the Vermilion City Gym, where Ash hopes to win his third badge.

Lt. Surge stood on the far side of the battle field, almost as if he were awaiting a challenger. "Mr. Ketchum. To what do I owe this honor?" Surge asked.

"Lt. Surge. It's good to see you. My son is here for a gym battle," Mr. Ketchum responded.

"Son?" Surge said as he looked up and down at Ash. "That little squirt is your son?"

Ash fumed with anger. "I wouldn't underestimate him just yet, my friend." Mr. Ketchum replied.

Lt. Surge put his hands on his hips and grinned. "Fine. Let's see what the runt can do.." he laughed.

Ash approached the battle box and prepared for battle. He turned his hat backwards and eagerly awaited.

"He looks confident," Misty observed. Brock simply nodded as he watched.

"The battle between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Lt. Surge will be a three-on-three! Only the challenger may substitute! Begin!" the judge declared, signaling for the battle to begin.

Lt. Surge clutched a pokeball, "Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it." he said with s amirk as he tossed the ball onto the field, releasing Magnemite. "Magnemite," Ash said as he pulled his dex out to scan the pokemon. "Magnemite, a Magnet Pokémon. Its means of floating through the air are not understood. This very mysterious Pokémon is of the electric and steel-type." the pokedex read.

"Charmander: I choose you!" Ash countered by summoning his newly acquired Charmander.

Misty and Brock both gasped. "Ash! Charmander doesn't have experience!" Misty shouted.

"A Charmander, huh? I can't say I'm surprised! What a runt!" Lt. Surge said laughing.

Ash snarled and wasted no time. "Ember!" he commanded. Charmander spat out a tiny flame that hit Magnemite. "Thundershock!" Surge countered. Magnemite shook off the super-effective attack and sent shock waves Charmander's way, making impact and knocking the fire-type on its back.

"Charmander!" Ash shouted in distress.

Lt. Surge confidently grinned, "Magnemite! Get in closer!" he commanded. Magnemite hovered over to Charmander.

"Fire Spin!" Ash commanded.

"CHHAAARRRR," Charmander growled as it summoned a swarming flame from its tail, engulfing Magnemite. "Great job, Charmander!" Ash snapped his finger and congratulated.

"Magnemite: spin the flames off and finish Charmander with Thundershock!" Surge commanded. Magnemite spun around repeatedly until the flames scattered. It proceeded to overwhelm Charmander with a Thundershock attack, defeating the fire-type.

"Charmander is unable to battle!" the judge declared. Ash sighed and called back Charmander. "You were awesome," he said with a smile as he grabbed another pokeball.

"Bulbasaur: I choose you!" he said summoning his grass-type starter.

"So Ash is going with Bulbasaur," Brock noted, scratching his chin.

"Do you think Bulbasaur can pull Ash out of the hole he's in?" Misty asked with concern.

"Bulbasaur has more experience battling with Ash than Charmander does. We'll see if yesterday's training paid off," he responded.

Mr. Ketchum also watched intently as his son continued battle.

"Sonicboom!" Surge commanded. Magnemite sent out the sound-wave attack. "Bulbasaur: didge and use Razor Leaf!" Ash responded. Bulbasaur barely evaded the attack and sent dozens of sharp leaves from its bulb that made impact with Magnemite, knocking the electric/steel-type out.

"Magnemite is no longer able to battle!"

"Huh, not bad. But this is far from over." Surge said, tossing another pokeball onto the field. "Voltorb, lets go!" he exclaimed.

"Voltorb," Ash said under his breath. "Bulbasaur: grab it with Vine Whip!" he commanded. Bulbasaur extended its vines and hit Voltorb twice.

"Spark!" Surge commanded. Voltorb charged Bulbasaur, enveloped in electricity, knocking the grass-type back several feet.

"Use Leech Seed!" Bulbasaur recovered and shot out a small seed that hist Voltorb and sprouted out, covering its pokeball body.

"Ash is trying to preserve Bulbasaur's heath throughout the battle. Smart." Brock commented.

"Thunderbolt!" Surge commanded. Voltorb summoned a strike of lightning that relentlessly hit Bulbasaur.

"Stand your ground, Bulbasaur!" Ash commented as Bulbasaur struggled to withstand the attack. "Extend your vines!" he commanded. Bulbasaur did so, even sustaining the damage, it grabbed onto Voltorb. Bulbasaur's Leech Seed attack form earlier extracted health from Voltorb and sent it to Bulbasaur. "Now, sling it into the walls!"

Bulbasaur swung Voltorb around the battlefield and sent it flying into the walls of the stadium, knocking it out cold.

"Voltorb is no longer able to battle!" the judge declared.

Ash, Pikachu and Bulbasaur celebrated.

Surge closed his eyes as he recalled Voltorb and reached for a third pokeball. "This is where the fun ends, kid." Surge said as he tossed the pokeball onto the field, summoning his Raichu.

"Whoa. Raichu," Ash said in awe as he stared down Pikachu's evolved form.

"This Raichu is strong. I've heard stories about it..." Brock said as he watched anxiously.

"Come on, Ash.." Misty silently pleaded.

"BEGIN!"

"Bulbasaur: Vine Whip!" Ash exclaimed. Bulbasaur extended its vines. "Raichu: grab the vines and swing Bulbasaur around!" Surge commanded, surprising everyone. Raichu gripped Bulbasaur's vines and swung it around the battlefield for 15 seconds. Ash watched in agony as he frantically attempted to think of a way out of it.

"Send Bulbasaur flying and use Thunderbolt!" Surge commanded. Raichu slung Bulbasaur like a rag doll into the stadium walls, accordingly met with a powerful lightning strike. Bulbasaur was out of the match.

"Bulbasaur is no longer able to battle!" the judge declared.

Ash recalled Bulbasaur and snarled. "What ya gonna do now, kid?" Surge arrogantly shouted. Ash looked down at Pikachu. "It's your turn. We can do this," Ash assured as Pikachu nodded firmly and hopped onto the field, staring down Raichu.

"Focus Blast!" Surge commanded, wasting no time. Pikachu jumped up but the blast still threw Pikachu back several feet.

"Quick Attack!" Ash retaliated. Pikachu darted towards Raichu and lunged into its torso region, doing little to know damage. Surge laughed. "Raichu: Thunder Punch!" he commanded. Raichu jabbed Pikachu with the extra force of electricity surrounding Raichu's fist. Pikachu rolled backwards on the ground.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted.

"It looks like Ash is having quite the difficult time." Colress observed aloud.

"He'll be fine," Mr. Ketchum shot back without taking his eyes off the action.

"Focus Blast!" Surge commanded. Raichu slung the attack towards Pikachu, who could not pick himself up in time to do anything about it. The collision shook the battle field and everyone waited on the dust to settle.

Pikachu desperately tried to pick itself up.

"Give up! The only way you're getting through me and to the Indigo League is evolving that Pikachu with a Thunderstone," Surge said.

"Pikachu..." Ash hopelessly said under his breath as he watched his Pokemon struggle. Pikachu turned back to Ash and shook his head.

Ash was startled. "You.. you don't want to evolve, do you?" he asked. Pikachu again shook his head. "That's what I thought. Don't worry, we're getting that badge!" Ash assured his Pokemon as he clinched his fist and grinned. Pikachu nodded and turned his head back to Raichu.

"How can we beat this thing at a speed and power disadvantage?" Ash said under his breath.

"Slam!" Surge commanded. Raichu charged Pikachu and used its tail for the attack. Ash squinted his eyes and leaned in closer. "The tail. That's it..." he said under his breath.

* **Flashback** *

"Your Pokemon will be the lightning rod you need when you're in the middle of a fierce storm.. Don't forget that." Mr. Ketchum said as he patted Charmander on the head.

* **End flashback** *

"Raichu: finish it off with Thunderbolt!" Surge commanded.

"Pikachu: turn around and use your tail as a lightning rod!" Ash commanded. Pikachu's ears perked up. Everyone else was taken back by the command. Pikachu did as commanded as the Thunderbolt attack struck its tail.

"Now, take your tail and slam it into Raichu!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu, with the attack still surging on its tail, darted over to Raichu and slammed into it with all of its might. The collision vigorously shook the stadium. The dust surrounded the battlefield as both trainers awaited the outcome.

"That's it! Raichu is no longer able to battle! Pikachu is the winner! Ash will receive the Thunder Badge!" the judge declared.

Ash slowly cracked a smile on his face after overcoming the stunned feeling he was experiencing. Pikachu ran up to his trainer and jumped in his arms. "We did it! We really did it!" Ash shouted, gleefully spinning around with Pikachu. Misty and Brock rushed over to join the celebration.

"I stand corrected." Colress said with admiration.

"He did it. My son is the real deal, I just know it.." Mr. Ketchum said with a slight hint of malice in his voice as he proudly watched his son celebrate and receive his badge.

* * *

Meanwhile on Route 6, just outside of Vermilion City, Serena explored alongside her shy Eevee.

"Eevee, I've had so much fun with you these past few days! I know we haven't gone far from home, I guess I'm...not ready." Serena said to her normal-type Pokemon.

"Eeeeeeee?"

Serena sighed. "I don't know. It's just a big step, and I -"

Serena was cut off by Officer Jenny and a few of her assistants on motorcycles speeding right past her and Eevee, obviously in a hurry to get back to Vermilion City.

"I wonder what's going on?" Serena said as she anxiously stared in the direction they were headed. She took a deep breath, "Eevee, let's go see if there is something we can do to help!" she said firmly. Eevee hesitantly followed her back into the city.

* * *

After following the commotion, Serena arrived at an apartment building with smoke blowing from the windows on the second story. A group of Squirtle, all wearing sunglasses, attempted to put the fire out.

"That brave Squirtle ran in there to save my daughter!" an older woman cried aloud.

Officer Jenny and her fellow officers tried to block off the area and assess and deescalate the situation to the best of their abilities. "Everyone! Please! Remain calm! The fire department is on the way! Please back up!" Officer Jenny asserted as a crowd began to form around the building.

"A little girl and a Squirtle..." Serena said under her breath as she watched the growing fire in horror.

* **Flashback** *

"No! Serena, you have to relax! Rhyhorn can sense your tension!" Grace, Serena's mother shouted as Serena struggled to gain control of the Rhyhorn she rode on in their front yard.

"Uggghhhh!" Serena shouted. "Mom! I can't do this like you can! I. JUST. CAN'T!" she went on.

"Serena, if you're going to go on a Pokemon journey, you have to push yourself! You can't just accept defeat!" Grace exclaimed.

* **End Flashback** *

Serena stared intently at the burning part of the building for a few moments and took a deep breath. "Eevee, return," she said, recalling her Eevee.

"Everyone, please hold on! The situation is under control!" Officer Jenny proclaimed to the crowd.

"Hey! That girl just ran inside the building!" a bystander yelled.

"What?! A girl ran inside?" Officer Jenny shouted.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Lillie and Hau on the island of giant pokemon, we'll get back to them soon! See ya next time!**

 **And just as a heads up, I will explain next chapter why Froakie didn't react to or recognize Mr. Ketchum.**

 **Question: What Pokemon of Ash's, if any, that he doesn't get in Kanto or Alola would you like to see in this story?**


	8. Battle Aboard the SS Anne!

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* * *

Serena coughed as the seemingly endless smoke jaded her vision and filled her lungs. The sound of crackling fire and the occasional parts of the interior building falling apart blocked out her thoughts and any noise coming from outside. At this rate, the overwhelming heat and excessive smoke seemed to be the only thing Serena could think about. Escaping, let alone finding Squirtle and the young girl, began to feel like fantasy. Every direction revealed fading evidence of a way out. Serena finally stumbled to her knees and coughed incessantly into her cloth as the black smoke surrounded her.

 _All I wanted was to travel with Pokemon and perform. I wanted to meet people, see new places, learn about Pokemon... But this is it. The third day of my journey is... The last day of my life. I'll never see my mom again, I'll never laugh again, or smile, or be happy._

Just as Serena prepared to give up and allow herself to pass out and slowly fall into death, a blue spot caught her eye. She fixated on the object; upon further inspection, she noticed the object was Squirtle, and it was doing its best to fight off the fire and protect the young girl.

 _Squirtle!_

Serena stood up and paced towards Squirtle, still coughing and trying not to stumble over. She was almost certain one more stumble and she would not be able to stand up again. Squirtle vehemently used Water Gun to defuse the expanding fire. The girl held on to Squirtle's shell as she cried for help.

"I want you to get on my back! Squirtle! Try to get us through this room! I think we can make it to the stairs if you can!" Serena pleaded. The little girl came to her senses and jumped on Serena's back, tightly holding on to her shoulders and trying not to cry. Squirtle gave a nod to Serena as it attempted to make it to the stairs.

 _Tomorrow is never promised. The end of the day is never promised. Telling your mom or a loved one how much they mean to you one more time is never promised. The end of the next sentence you speak into existence is never promised. But if there is a fighting chance, if there is a small light in the darkness, you can't give up._

Serena glanced over her shoulder at the little girl. She imagined that girl graduating school, her first kiss, her first job. Then, she looked down at Squirtle, fighting as hard as it could to help people it didn't know live to see another day. She imagined that Squirtle evolving into a Wartortle.

 _I can't give up. I have to keep fighting! I have to!_

Serena handed her cloth to the girl and instructed her to cover her face as the three pressed on through the burning building.

* * *

"Miss! Excuse me, miss! Are you OK?"

Serena opened her eyes to a stranger standing over her, closely examining her. She gazed around her in every direction, desperately trying to piece together what happened and where she was. To her left, she noticed the girl she had helped reuniting with her parents, who cried profusely and held her tightly.

"Abigail! We love you so much! You're never leaving our side! Never!" the mother cried as she held her daughter.

Serena, still in a daze, smiled and turned to her right; the Squirtle who had helped her and the girl though the fire greeted its friends. Officer Jenny approached Serena, "Ya know, that was a really brave thing you did. If we had waited on the fire fighters to get here, Abigale and Squirtle might not have made it," she said.

Serena stood up and dusted herself off. "It was no problem, really," she replied.

Squirtle tapped Serena on the leg. "Squuuiirrttle," the water-type attempted to speak in its own way. Officer Jenny giggled, "I think Squirtle wants to personally thank you!"

She knelt down and patted Squirtle on the head. "You're the one I should be thanking. There's no way we could have made it out without you, Squirtle!"

"Sqqqquuurrrr!"

Serena smiled at the water-type. Squirtle pointed at the pokeballs on Serena's belt, obviously trying to imply that it wanted to come with her.

"I think Squirtle wants to travel with you," Officer Jenny observed.

Serena appeared astonished. "Is that true?" she asked.

Squirtle smiled and nodded. It turned around and said goodbye to the rest of its squad, who were sad but seemed supportive of Squirtle's decision.

"Don't worry, Squirtle! I'll make sure the Squirtle Squad is taken care of!" Officer Jenny assured.

"Squirtle, I may not be the strongest. But together, we'll always find our way through the fire! I just know it!" Serena promised, holding back tears.

Squirtle jumped up in her arms and from that moment, a new friendship was born.

* * *

As his journey continues, Ash is one step closer to his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master! Last time, Ash defeated the Vermilion City Gym Leader and earned a Thunder Badge! Also, a reunion battle with his father earned him a new friend in Charmander!

Ash held the orange and red badge up and admired it. Brock and Misty both smiled, both were happy for the rookie trainer from Pallet Town. The three walked across a large bridge that led to the Vermilion City boating docks.

"It was nice of your dad to give us tickets for the SS Anne," Brock said as he read through the brochure.

"I hate I won't be able to go with you guys. The SS Anne has wonderful food and there are all kinds of different trainers who meet there." Misty added.

Arriving at the pier, Ash and Brock prepared to say goodbye to their friend, Misty, who chose to meet up with her cousin in Vermilion City so she could go compete in a tournament for water-type trainers in the Johto region.

"Brock, keep chasing your dream of being a Poke Breeder. I know you can do it." Misty said with a genuine smile.

Brock nodded, "Thanks. Good luck in the tournament." he replied.

Misty looked over at Ash. "I better see you in the Indigo League Finals..." she said teasingly.

Ash smiled, "You will. I swear!" he responded with a clinched fist.

Pikachu jumped into Misty's arms. "Aww, I'll miss you, Pikachu!" she said as Pikachu nuzzled up to her before jumping back over to Ash.

She winked and, before walking away, hugged both of them without warning. "I'll get in touch with you guys after the tournament. I want to hear about everything!" she said as she walked away and waived goodbye.

"PIIIKKAA!" Pikachu responded in its own way.

"You better!" Ash replied.

"Goodbye, Misty!" Brock yelled out while waiving.

The two trainers watched their friend until she was out of view across the bridge.

"Let's go, Brock." Ash said firmly.

Brock smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I'm ready for some beautiful women! I mean, uh - some grub!"

The two laughed as they boarded the SS Anne.

* * *

Serena, along with her newly acquired Eevee and Squirtle, made their way across the Vermilion City Bridge.

"It was really nice of Officer Jenny to give me a pass for the SS Anne for saving that girl! She said it would be a great opportunity to meet new trainers and cool Pokemon!" she enthused as her Pokemon warmly accepted the idea.

The three finally arrived to the SS Anne where Serena was immediately greeted by a chef who tried to bribe her to buy a Magicarp.

"Uh, $300 for a Magicarp? Isn't that a little much?" she asked.

The salesmen shook his head, "You see, each Magicarp lays 1000 eggs, and each of those Magicarp lay 1000 more eggs! The average price for a Magicarp is $500, but I'll sale you this one for $300!"

"Wow. That would be a good way to make some money of my own so my mom doesn't have to keep supporting me! Uh, yeah! I'll take it!" Serena said as she signed a check and exchanged it for Magicarp.

"I HAVE A MAGICARP! HOW COOL!" Serena joyfully shouted as she danced around with the golden pokeball, joined by Eevee and Squirtle.

* * *

Ash and Brock spent close to an hour looking around the SS Anne after the large ship set sail. The ballroom was full of people left and right, most of them Pokemon trainers. Merchandise stands, tables, etc. all filled the room. "

"It's like a giant Pokemon convention!" Ash noted, viewing all of the sights around him.

"Once or twice a year, the SS Anne takes trainers on a 1 day round trip cruise." Brock added as he read a pamphlet.

Suddenly, a large group of people circled around what appeared to be a Pokemon battle.

"Dragonair: finish it off with Dragon Pulse!" a voice commanded. Dragonair launched the attack and easily defeated the opposing trainer's Raticate.

Ash and Brock made their way through the crowd and quickly realized the trainer with Dragonair was Leaf.

"Oh, dear Raticate. You tried your best. She's just too strong." the trainer said as he recalled his Pokemon and bowed out.

"So, anyone else want some?" Leaf said allowed to the crowd as they all stared at her powerful dragon-type. Ash's eyes lit up as he grabbed a pokeball from his belt and pushed people out of the way. "I'll battle you!" he said sliding into the circle of people and opposing her.

"Well, well. If it isn't Ash," Leaf said condescendingly. "So how many badges do you have? she asked.

Ash opened the right side of his jacket to reveal his three badges with a smirk.

"Just three? I have five." she mocked.

Ash snarled. "You saw what my Dragonair did to that Raticate. Are you sure about this Ketchum?" she asked teasingly.

Ash held a pokeball up and clicked the center button to enlarge it, "I'm not afraid of battling you," he said with a smug. "Charmander: I choose you!" he tossed Charmander's ball out in front of him. "Chhhaaarrr," Charmander growled.

Leaf smirked. "A Charmander, huh? Let's see if I can beat you even when I have a clear disadvantage..."

Ash appeared confused by her words.

Leaf recalled her Dragonair and sent out a Scyther. "A bug-type? We'll win no problem!" Ash enthused. "Charmander: use Ember!" he commanded. Charmander launched the attack but Scyther used its wings to mitigate the damage.

"Scyther: X-Scissor!" she commanded. Scyther crossed its scythes and darted towards Charmander, attacking it without allowing a second to respond. Charmander stumbled to the ground. "Charmander: stand up and use Fire Spin!" he commanded. Charmander swung its tail, attempting to guide the swirling flames towards Scyther. The bug-type quickly became enveloped in the dancing flames. The crowd grew eager. leaf closed her eyes and grinned. "Scyther: knock the flames down and use Wing Attack!" she retaliated. Scyther effortlessly knocked down Charmander's flames and defeated the fire-type with Wing Attack.

"Charmander is unable to continue!" a SS Anne sailor declared.

"UUUUGGGGHHHHHH!" Ash shouted in fury as he recalled his Charmander.

"Giving up yet?"

"Not even close! Froakie: I choose you!" Ash exclaimed as he flipped his hat backwards and and summoned Froakie.

"Ahh. Froakie again, huh. Alright then, Scyther: X-Scissor!" she commanded.

"BOUNCE!" Ash quickly responded. Froakie narrowly escaped Scyther's blades as it leaped 20 ft. in the air and came hurling down towards Scyther, making significant impact.

Leaf snarled, "Scyther: get up and use Wing Attack!"

"Froakie: send it flying with Water Pulse!" Ash passionately responded, thrusting his arm out to the side. Froakie formed the pulsating attack and blocked Scyther with it, additionally Froakie used all of its might to send Scyther crashing into the walls in defeat with the attack.

"Scyther is no longer able to battle!"

Ash slowly cracked a smile. "WE DID IT!" he shouted as he and Pikachu celebrated with Froakie. In the middle of the celebration, Froakie began to glow. The whole room gasped and whispered as Froakie slowly but surely evolved into Frogadier!"

"Froakie evolved! That's its evolution: Frogadier!" Brock exclaimed.

"Froakie! You evolved!" Ash enthused as his newly evolved Frgadier stood firmly ready for battle. Leaf appeared to be concerned after the evolution took place. Ash grinned and clinched his fists, "Now we can really get this started. Frogadier: use Water Pulse!"

Frogadier launched the attack towards Dragonair who received significant damage. "HYPER BEAM!" Leaf shouted. Dragonair began gathering energy.

"Hyper Beam?" Ash said aloud with deep concern in his voice.

Dragonair launched the powerful beam of energy and overwhelmed Frgadier who fell to its knees, though barely still able to continue. Just as he attempted to respond, Ash also fell to his knees, panting heavily. "Wha- what is going on?" he thought to himself.

Brock watched in distress as Ash struggled to stand up, along with his Froagadier.

"Ash, are you OK?" Leaf, who usually acted with petty hostility towards him, asked with genuine concern.

"I... I don't..." after not even being able to speak, it became more and more apparent that something was wrong Ash.

"Attention, passengers: we are currently experiencing a tropical storm that was not on our radar. Please, do not panic. We are preparing the rafts. Ple-" a voice over the PA system spoke and quickly got cut off after the ship abruptly rocked back and fourth as the passengers scrambled for safety.

One of Ash's pokeballs fell from his belt and rolled down stairs into the kitchen area. "That's Bulbasaur's pokeball! I have to get it!" Ash weakly said as he stood up and ran for the ball, along with Frogadier and Pikachu.

"Ash!" Brock shouted as he lost him in the crowd. Leaf and Brock both followed him downstairs.

* * *

"Magicarp, come back!" Serena shouted as she chased the pokeball that had fallen onto the ground during the ship's shaking. She had recalled Eevee and Squirtle to ensure their safety. Everyone passed Serena going upstairs as she went further and further down.

*POP*

"Ouch," Serena said placing her hand on her forehead. Without realizing it, she had run into someone who also appeared to be looking for something. "I'm so sorry," she said as she stood up and noticed the boy she ran into was rather attractive.

"ASH! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" a man in a green vest and orange shirt said running towards the boy she bumped into. He was accompanied by a young brunette girl.

"That girl... I know her..." Ash thought to himself as he and Serena gazed into each other's eyes.

The ship vigorously shook and threw all four of them, including Frogadier and Pikachu, against the wall. They all blacked out as the SS Anne began to sink.

As the SS Anne heads to the bottom of the sea, our heroes are unconscious and captured inside, with opportunity disappearing the further the ship sinks to the dark depths of the ocean.

* * *

Meanwhile..

"Tornadus is quite the Pokemon. You know, being able to whip up such a fierce and unforeseen storm at sea like that.." Lusamine said as she sipped a whine glass in a dark, empty room with a lap top in front of her.

"Indeed. Tornadus has done its work. The SS Anne was far enough out in sea for the chances of communication to be diminished. The boy and his Froakie will not survive." a distorted voice responded form the lap top.

Lusamine grinned. "That's what I like to hear," she responded. "The beauty in this poetry is that Mr. Ketchum did not know he was sending his son to his death when he handed them those boat tickets."

"This is unlike you. Working with nefarious people like me and taking lives."

Lusamine became visibly frustrated. "It's for a greater good."

"Either way, considering I had my team spying on him in the first place, what is my reward for getting rid of this Pokemon and trainer?"

Lusamine grew silent.

"Why does this Pokemon scare you so much?"

"It doesn't scare me. It's a thorn in my side I don't want to deal with when we move forward with our plans."

"A thorn in your side you had to take lives in order to remove?"

"Listen, you let what's yours be yours and what is mine be mine, Giovanni."

"Very well, Ms. Lusamine. I'll have my three agents continue spying on Mr. Ketchum, and we'll gather what his next move is while he still thinks he's ahead."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I know I said I'd go back to Lillie and Hau this chapter, but it ended up making more sense to wait. Tell me what you thought and what you'd like to see!**


	9. Survival of the Fit! Zapdos v Xurkitree!

hacked Aether Foundation email

from: Lusamine

My groundbreaking research of ultra beasts and wormholes has been revolutionary, to say the least. I don't say that to brag, but only to proclaim truth. I've spent years in the lab, away from my children, so I could come out with something useful. Something extraordinary to not only the scientific community, but the world. Something so incredibility astounding, it could launch us into the next stage of evolution. That way, I could build something so great, my children wouldn't need to worry about their future like I did when I was their age. They could enjoy the massive success I have obtained and live off of the earnings of my work, possibly even carrying it on should that be their desire. While I have achieved my goal, for the most part, and my intentions were as genuine as I described, something went wrong. My team of researchers captured millions of Pokemon from across the civilized part of the world, from many different regions, in order to run experiments and studies. The goal behind this was simple: if we were to release the ultra beasts into the world and use them in our favor, we have to know how they were different from other Pokemon in our world. It turns out, the differences are staggering. I cannot go into detail in this document since we are still analyzing the data. However, one thing was clear to us: the ultra beasts, if utilized properly, would allow the Aether Foundation to gain ultimate power and control over the civilized regions of the planet, in turn allowing us to lead the world into the next phase of evolution with our research, like I mentioned earlier. During our tests, one of the wild Pokemon we obtained seemed to contradict our theories. Without explaining too much, this wild Pokemon essentially became an anomaly. This was infuriating. I was so certain our grasp of the ultra beasts would be an unstoppable force. That was true, until this Froakie rejected what we thought we understood about the ultra beasts and Pokemon of our world. My colleagues urged me to kill this Froakie. That made sense, considering it was only one out of a million failed experiments. I struggled with the notion of taking an innocent life, but I eventually decided that was the only way. The day I made this decision, the Froakie escaped...

"Colress, you've been staring at that screen for quite sometime. Is everything alright?" Mr. Ketchum asked, sitting across from a silent Colress.

"Oh, my apologies. I got lost in... some brilliant fiction! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a genius!" Colress responded as he closed his lap top. "So, have we arrived at the power plant yet?"

"Not yet." Mr. Ketchum replied, gazing out of the window of the van.

"I must say, the prospect of capturing an ultra beast is exciting. Are we certain it will be here?

"Mr. Ketchum nodded. Our undercover team seems to think so. UB-03 Lightning becoming attracted to this place makes sense once you consider it is believed to be akin to an electric-type and the legendary electric-type, Zapdos, has been spotted here. Maybe it wants to be near those it sees as similar to it.."

"Or maybe it's asserting dominance..." Colress pondered.

Upon arriving to the scene, the driver of the van slammed on the brakes so it would not get too close to what was happening; a showdown between Zapdos and UB-03. The two vigorously fought on the grounds of the power plant. Mr. Ketchum and Colress watched in amazement. Zapdos attempted to drill it's beak into UB-03's skin several times, but the mysterious beast used its lanky, flexible body to dodge. Both pokemon fired off powerful Thunderbolt attacks that forcefully collided.

"Unbelievable," Colress said in awe as he observed the impressive collision.

Zapdos swiftly flew around UB-03 like a buzzard, avoiding UB-03's Thunderbolt attempts that instead shot through the clouds in the sky. Zapdos dove down toward the beast with relentless speed; the massive thunder bird pokemon slammed into the beast with all of its force behind its Drill Peck attack. Miraculously, UB-03 violently grabbed Zapdos by the throat and slung the legendary pokemon into the walls of the power plant.

"I can't believe it. Xurkitree defeated Zapdos," Colress said in disbelief.

"This is where we act.." Mr. Ketchum said as he grabbed a pokeball and opened the van door on his side.

Meanwhile, back in Alola on Aether Paradise...

Lusamine stared out of the window of her office, losing herself in thought after watching a broadcast from the Kanto region, in which Officer Jenny addressed the media. She informed them that 4 trainers did not survive the SS Anne accident, and among those trainers was Ash Ketchum.

*flashback*

"Ash seems to be getting along with Gladion and Lillie," Mr. Ketchum said to Lusamine as they watched through the kitchen window the three children played in the back yard.

Lusamine smiled and nodded. "Delia is fine with you bringing Ash over here to visit with your ex-girlfriend and your other children?"

Before Mr. Ketchum could respond, Ash, Gladion and Lillie all stormed in the kitchen./p

"Daddy! Daddy! Is it true Ms. Lusamine is the champion of Alola?" the young Ash asked.

"It is. She just recently defeated Dr. Kukui in the championship."

"That's so cool! I want to battle her one day when I become big and strong!" the young boy enthused.

"Lusamone chuckled. "That sounds splendid, Ash. I look forward to accepting your challenge..." she replied.

*End flashback*

Just then, Wicke, Lusamine's assistant, entered Lusamine's office.

"Madame President! I'm sure you are aware of the broadcast from Kanto this morning?" she eagerly inquired.

Lusamine continued to gaze out of her window as the sunlight lit up her somewhat pale skin. "Tell me something, Wicke.." Wicke became attentive.

"Is immersing ourselves into our work like this worth losing ourselves along the way?" Lusamine pondered.

"Madame, our work isn't just work. It's necessary for humans and pokemon to survive."

"You know he had a dream?" Lusamine said, ignoring Wicke's previous statement.

"I'm sorry? I don't understand?"

"Ash. He had a dream. I took that dream away from him..

"Nonsense! Giovanni and Team Rocket are responsible for the SS Anne sinking!"/p

"I gave the orders.."

"Madame! Please! You have Team Rocket and Team Skull at your fingertips! It is not your fault they are doing our dirty work, merely survival of the fittest! Your hands are clean, I assure you!" Wicke insisted.

The Aether Foundation President and Alola Champion did not appear phased by Wicke's point of view.

"This just in! We are now receiving reports on the SS Anne accident! Yes... I'm... I'm being told the 4 trainers pronounced dead may still be alive!" a news reporter spoke from the television in the background. Lusamine stood up became glued to the screen.

"Our reporter on the scene is now telling us that Ms. Ketchum, Ash Ketchum's mother, has received a text message from her son explaining that he and the others were able to escape the ship and are now on a remote island! That is astounding! Yes, this is a breaking story! The four trainers pronounced dead are now believed to be alive and stranded at sea!"/p

Lusamine quietly turned the tv off and approached the door. "Madame, is everything..." Wicke tried to speak but wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm going to our headquarters in the Kanto region.

Wicke became silent for a moment. "Are you sure that is a good idea?"/p

"I don't need others doing the job for me. I've built this empire from nothing. I defeated every respectable trainer in the Alola region and every champion from other regions who dared to stand against me. I've come too far to turn around now. The boy and his Froakie will get the battle with the champion they want," she said with malice in her voice as she exited the room and left Wicke speechless.


	10. Pokémon Shipwreck

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 **Greetings! I have decided to return to this story and see it through! I hope you enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

The crowd at the Indigo Plateau roared as Ash, along with Pikachu, held up the Championship trophy after defeating Lance and his Charizard. "No, stop! I'm not great, you're all great for believing in me!" Ash humbly shouted back to the crowd.

"Uhhh.. Ash? Ash!?" a voice responded.

Ash shook as he came back to his senses, "Oh.. I guess that was just a dream," he sighed. Brock and Leaf did not appear entertained by the young trainer's comedic awakening. "Wait, we're... We're still on the SS Anne?!" he asked as he noticed his surroundings.

"PIKA?"

Brock nodded with a cold expression, "Ash, the ship is underwater. We're the only 4 who didn't make it out..." he asserted.

Ash looked around the long hallway of the sunken SS Anne and noticed Brock, Leaf, and the girl from earlier. "Hey, it's you! Do you remember me?" Ash asked the girl as he pointed to himself with a gullible expression.

Serena shook her head with a slight blush, _Wow he's gorgeous. What is he talking about, though? I think I would remember a cute guy like him?_ she thought to herself with a perplexed look.

"Yeah, we don't have time for a reunion. It turns out people die if they stay underwater for too long," Leaf said to Ash in a condescending tone.

"I know that!" Ash spat as he confronted his rival with a clinched fist.

"PIKA CHUU!" Pikachu mirrored his trainer's anger.

"Guys, enough!" Brock pleaded as he broke up the confrontation.

"Yeah, maybe we should find a way out of here instead of fighting," Serena sheepishly asserted.

Ash and Leaf glared at each other before giving up on the conflict for now. The gang of four walked down the halls of the SS Anne, desperately attempting to find a way out, but it was hopeless. Water filled up the staircase, making it impossible for them to escape the ship.

"It's no good." Leaf hopelessly asserted.

"Wait, I've got it!" Serena said, surprising the group. We're at the lower level of the ship, but we're standing on the ceiling! Which means the ship is upside down! So we're actually towards the very top! If we can somehow make a hole, it shouldn't be hard to get out if we tie ourselves to water pokemon!" the trainer exclaimed.

"Ya know, that just might actually work." Brock added. He immediately removed his backpack, looking for rope.

"I don't have any water types on me.." Leaf said nervously.

"I have Frogadier.." Ash added as he summoned his water type.

"I have Magicarp and Squirtle! Serena said as she released both pokemon."

"I don't have any..." Brock said.

Ash approached Serena, "Frogadier can take both of us!"

Serena slightly blushed as she agreed to let Brock have Squirtle and Leaf have Magicarp. The group tied themselves together to the pokemon; with Ash, Serena and Pikachu tied to Frogadier, Leaf tied to Magicarp, and Brock tied to Squirtle. Ash's Charmander used flamethrower to cut a hole in the ship before quickly being recalled by Ash so the flooding water didn't get it. Serena wrapped her arms around Ash from behind him as the trainers all were led into the ocean depths by the pokemon.

* * *

Hours later, the four trainers were all sprawled out on a large empty piece of cargo. Magicarp splashed around with a blank expression as the trainers awoke. "Wh.. Where are we?" Serena asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"We must've all passed out due to the ocean pressure." Brock replied.

Ash yawned and stretched his arms out, Pikachu did the same. The trainer from Pallet also sent his mom a text message, ensuring her that he was alright.

"We're still in the middle of the ocean." Leaf said. "Hmm... That's true. There's no telling how far we are from land." Brock added.

Ash recalled his Frogadier and Serena recalled her Squirtle. "Well, what should we do?" Serena asked with a worried expression. Everyone silently pondered over the situation. "Hmm. Nothing but water in every direction with no land in sight..." Ash thought aloud.

"I remember the story of Noah. When he had to find dry land, he sent a bird find it and the bird brought back a branch." Brock said, recalling the a biblical story that could hopefully be applicable to the situation.

"Good. Then we'll be like Noah," Ash grinned as he clicked a pokeball and sent out his Pidgeotto to find land. "We're counting on you, Pidgeotto.." Ash said with determination as he watched his trusty flying-type fly away.

About thirty-minutes went by with no sight of Pidgeotto. "I'm so hungry..." Ash proclaimed with desperation. "There's no telling how long it's been since we've last eaten.." Brock added.

"That Magicarp sure looks good." Leaf said as she longingly looked at Serena's Magicarp. "We can't eat my pokemon!" Serena shot back. "Who said anything about _we_?" Leaf responded snidely.

"Why are you being mean to her? Why don't we eat your stupid Dragonair instead?!" Ash boldly asked. "No one asked you, Mr. hero!" Leaf replied straight to Ash's face. "Guys, guys! We can't afford to fight like this right now!" Brock asserted as he broke up the two.

A few minutes later, Pidgeotto finally flew back to the group, although it returned empty-handed. "So, you didn't see anything?" Ash asked. Pidgeotto shook its head as Ash reluctantly recalled it. "Thanks anyway!" he said kindly to his flying-type, despite being concerned.

Serena tilted her head back and wiped sweat from her forehead. "This is crazy," she sighed. "Uhh... I think your Magicarp is evolving..." Leaf uttered. Everyone quickly turned their attention to Magicarp who slowly grew into its majestic evolution: Gyarados.

"Wow! Gyarados!" Serena exclaimed with happiness. However, Gyarados did not appear to return Serena's enthusiasm in the slightest. The large water-type roared viciously at the group.

"Wh.. Why is Gyarados so angry?" Serena sheepishly asked.

"It looks like it understood what Leaf was saying about eating us! It must've forced itself to evolve as a defense mechanism of survival!" Brock answered with fear.

"Uh-oh.." Ash said as Gyarados raged on.

"This isn't good at all." Brcok said as dark clouds began to loom overhead, almost as if they had appeared from nowhere. "If this is what I think it is, then Gyarados must be calling on its friends for a collective dragon rage attack!"

"DRAGON RAGE?" the group shouted in unison.

As predicted by Brock, first two, then four Gyarados arose from the water and began swimming around in a circle. Within seconds, they formed a fierce water spout that threatened to blow the group away in seconds.

"This is it! Hold on everyone!" Brock shouted as the group helplessly embraced each other.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the island Lillie and Hau found themselves on after their plane crash, they both stared at a large pokemon on the ground that turned out to be a mechanical fake.

"Well, at least they aren't real. I mean, we stood no chance against a pokemon this large!" Hau exclaimed with a hint of gratitude.

Lillie stepped away and looked off into the vast ocean. "Hau, I know where we are." she said, not moving from her spot on the beach facing the ocean.

"Like, I don't even think my gramps could take on a pokemon that size, ya know!?" Hau continued, too distracted to hear what Lillie said.

"Hau, I'm serious. It all makes sense. This is a tourist attraction my mother helped a man named Giovanni create. I think their funneling the money they make here into wormhole research. I need to confront Giovanni to be sure; there are several things I need to connect when we make it to Kanto. I don't even know much about Giovanni or why he would help my mom out." she went on.

"Wait a minute, so this is just like a theme park or something?" Hau asked.

Lillie nodded, "I think I know where we can call for some transportation. I vaguely remember reading about the design of this place. We're only a couple miles off the coast of the Kanto region," she said.

Hau locked his arms behind his head and stood by Lillie, "Wow. So we're really, really far from home, eh?" he uttered as the two stared at the sea.

* * *

 **Preview of what's to come:**

 **Chapter 11: Tentacool and Tentacruel!**

 **Chapter 12: Ghost of Maiden's Peak!**

 **Chapter 13: President Lusamine vs Trip & Neesha!**

 **Chapter 14: Abra and the Psychic Showdown!**


	11. Tentacool and Tentacruel!

After encountering Serena's angry Gyarados on the raft, our heroes were sent into a whirlwind, with their fate in the hands of the storm. After what felt like an eternity, Ash slowly awoke to the sight of two young men in speedos standing over him. The young trainer jumped back upon the sight, realizing he was on a bed in what looked like a very fancy room. "Uhh... Where am I?" he uttered in a clueless fashion.

"I'd like to start my day without Ash waking up to a weird situation. Please? Just once?" Leaf sarcastically said to herself as she face-palmed.

"Ash, we're in Hutber Port, Porta Vista. We ended up on an island close to Vermilion City. These sailors recovered us, and now, we're.. Uh.. Here." Brock said with a hint of hesitation.

"Yes! Now you are here! And now you will help me with my grand construction project since my sailors saved your lives!" an older woman with red hair exclaimed as she appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Nastina, I'm really thankful for what your men did, but I already told you; I won't take part in harming the Tentacool and Tentacruel so you can build your grand hotel." Serena said, trying not to sound confrontational.

"Grand hotel? Tentacool and Tentacruel?" Ash inquired.

"That's right! My men found you in the bay and they could've left you there! But since they did not, you will help me exterminate those rotten Tentacool and Tentacruel so I can build my very own Nastina's Grand Hotel, built by me, Nastina!" she insisted.

"Well I don't think it's right! The Tentacool and Tentacruel live there, so we have no place to take their home from them!" Serena shot back as she crossed her arms and refused to even glance over at Nastina.

Nastina seethed as Serena refused her demands. "Look, I'll have my parents send you a check or something to help pay for the expenses," Serena said, turning her back and walking towards the door, "but I will NOT remove those pokemon from their homes!" she exclaimed as she exited the room.

"Now there's a girl who can't be bought." Nastina mumbled with anger. "Very well. If the runts won't help me, I'll make a public appearance!" she declared.

* * *

Ash, Brock and Leaf all followed Serena out of the building and down to the port. "The nerve of her! And to think; people like that actually have power in this world! I can't believe how you can be so cruel!" Serena huffed as she walked just ahead of the rest of the gang.

"Uh, Serena. I know this may not be the best time, but do you remember me?" Ash reluctantly asked. "Pika?" Pikachu tilted its head with curiosity.

Serena stopped in her tracks and turned around to address him. "That's right. You asked me that back on the SS Anne.." she said, recalling their first encounter. "I.. Where would I know you from?"

"Professor Oak's summer camp about ten years ago!"

Serena placed her hand on her chin, trying to remember, "Yeah, I do remember that camp, but.." she pondered.

"While I think it's absolutely hilarious that you can't remember Ketchum but he can remember you, I would like to inform both of you that a ferry is not visiting this island until later tomorrow. And seeing as how we won't be leaving with Nastina's men, we should probably start looking for a place to stay." Leaf asserted.

Before anyone could respond, a commotion could be heard coming from the city. "ATTENTION! I WILL OFFER $500 TO ANYONE WHO WILL REMOVE ALL OF THE TENTACOOL FROM THE SURROUNDING AREA OF MY HOTEL CONSTRUCTION SIGHT JUST OFF THE ISLAND!" declared Nastina, who apparently drove in to town on a small tank.

"Is she serious?" Brock angrily inquired.

"Surely no one will take her up on that.." Leaf added. Almost as if to prove her wrong, a crowd of nearly 200 people came pouring into the streets where Nastina had positioned her tank.

"This is wonderful! I don't even have to get my hands dirty AND I will be rolling in cash once I build my hotel!" the crookedly opportunistic woman shouted with joy as people lined up to help her. "OK! I'm going to shoot this toxin over to the Tetacool. It will stir them up and send them closer to the shores of our beaches! So all of you can get rid of them for good!" she said as she loaded the barrel of her tank with a mysterious cannon that contained her toxin. Without hesitating, Nastina launched the toxin over to the Tentacool. Within a minute, the agitated group of Tentacool, probably close to a hundred, all crowded the shore of the beach. But something strange happened; from the large group of Tentacool, one of them evolved into a Tentacruel and grew to be about 30 feet tall.

"Whoa! What happened!?" Ash shouted, gazing at the unusually large pokemon.

"Tentacruel should only grow to be about 7 feet tall!" Brock exclaimed.

"It has to be whatever Nastina shot over there. That Tentacool had a weird reaction to it!" Leaf added.

The Tentacool started flooding the island en mass, causing widespread panic and confusion, including Nastina - who hid in her tank and drove away. As for the giant Tentacruel, it started smashing into buildings by swinging its large tentacles.

Ash grabbed Serena by the arm and pulled her into a near by building Leaf and Brock were both able to break into. "Tentacruel... no.." Serena said to herself. Although she was frightened, she also sympathized with the Tentacool and Tentacruel for being wrongly provoked.

"Are we seriously going to be the ones to clean up this mess!? We didn't do anything!" Leaf shouted, almost as if she predicted what Brock was thinking.

"Leaf, there's no telling what will happen to the city if we don't do anything." Brock responded.

"Well. I guess we have to fight." Leaf admitted, despite a part of her not wanting to intervene.

"Fight?" Serena inquired.

"Yup. It doesn't matter that one crazy person provoked the Tentacool. The fact is, there are hundreds of people on this island who had nothing to do with any of that. And their lives are worth protecting." Leaf responded. "Dragonair: let's go!" she declared as she summoned her dragon-type.

Ash and Brock both nodded.

"Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Frogadier: I choose you!"

"Geodude: come on out!"

"Serena, I'm not gonna ask you to fight." Ash said to her calmly. "But I want you to make sure everyone in the building is safe. You can take Charmander and Bulbasaur just in case." he added as he handed her his two pokeballs.

"Ash..." she said, admiring his respect for her conflicting emotions. She took the pokeballs and firmly nodded as the group split up.

* * *

Ash's Pidgeotto and Brock's Geodude went around helping people get away from the Tentacool filled streets of the city. Ash's Pikachu tried to keep those Tentacool at bay with Thunderbolt. While the gang and their pokemon were indeed helping, this was not enough to stop all of the pandemonium completely.

"Dragonair: Dragon Pulse!"

"Frogadier: Water Pulse!"

Leaf and Ash commanded their pokemon to attack the Tentacool, significantly knocking many of them back. However, no matter what progress was made against the Tentacool, they seemed to just respond with more of them coming from the water.

"This isn't working! There's too many of them!" Ash nervously exclaimed.

"Is that Serena on the roof?!" Leaf shouted.

Sure enough, Serena stood on the roof of a large building, staring almost eye-level at Tentacruel, accompanied by her Squirtle and Ash's Bulbasaur and Charmander. "Tentacruel! That's enough!" she declared to the top of her lungs. This caught not only Tentacruel's attention, but the attention of seemingly the whole city.

"I know Nastina hurt you! I know there are other people who would do the same. But I promise you all humans are not like that! Most humans love pokemon and would never try and take them away from their homes! I.. I want you to have this if you promise to stop attacking the town."

Tentacruel fixated on Serena with some skepticism.

"This is a very special pokepuff I made the night before I started my journey as a pokemon trainer. I was saving it for a special pokemon I just knew I was going to meet during my journey. And I want you to have it, Tentacruel.."

Tentacruel appeared take aback by Serena's offering. A few silent, tense moments went by for what seemed like an eternity. Tentacruel turned around and stared at the people of the town for a moment. Then, it motioned to the Tentacool, who immediately began moving back into the water, one-by-one. Tentacruel grabbed Serena's pokepuff, and nodded at her, almost as a symbol of thanks. Serena smiled, "Thank you, Tentacruel." she said under her breath as the large pokemon made its way into the water.

* * *

Fortunately, the Tentacool and Tentacruel did not do any damage to the city that could not be eventually repaired, nor did they severely hurt anyone. Ash and the gang helped the city clean up what little they could.

"I've sent for a ferry to pick you four up tonight, and I've notified Kanto officials that you all are safe after the SS Anne sinking." Officer Jenny said to Ash and the gang.

The gang let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

"I also want to extend my utmost gratitude for your help. Without you four, this could have gone a lot worse. And I have contacted the International Police about Nastina as well. She won't get far."

"No problem, Officer Jenny. Now, how about a date before we leave?" Brock humbly asked the officer who tried to let him down easy.

The group shared a laugh.

"Well, this has been... Something." Leaf said turning her back to Serena and Ash. "I'mm going to the docks to wait for our ride out of here." she said as she walked away.

"Serena, you were awesome!" Ash assured.

"Aw. Thank you, Ash."

"I know you don't remember me, but, it would be really cool to travel with someone like you on my first pokemon journey." Ash said, humbly scratching his nose.

Serena blushed and giggled. "Yeah, sorry about that. But I would love to come along with you!" she enthused. "And ya know, I'm sure it won't take long for me to remember you." she said with a wink.

Ash, slightly blushing, firmly nodded. "Great! It's gonna be awesome!" he declared.

And with that, Ash, Brock, and Serena set sea on the ferry back to Kanto, where boundless adventures await them.


	12. Ghost of Maiden's Peak!

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* * *

The waves calmly crashed into the the night as the statue of Maiden's Peak overlooked the vast ocean. "I'm waiting for you, my love." a voice whispered, met only by nature as the island breeze carried it...

* * *

Since last time, our heroes have been traveling the ferry from Porta Vista to continue their pokemon journey. Serena, a young new trainer, has decided to join Brock and Ash along the way.

"It's so pretty!" Serena said, spotting an island as she removed her hair from her eyes against the sailing winds.

"Eeeeee" Serena's Eevee echoed the excitement.

"That must be Maiden's Peak!" Ash added.

"Ah. It woulden't matter to me if I never saw land again." Brock moaned.

Serena, without taking her hands off of the ship's rails, looked over at Brock, who stood on the other side of Ash. "What's the matter, Brock? Aren't you looking forward to a nice place to sleep and good food?" she asked.

"Not really. Summer is over, and that means no more bikinis! Not to mention I still don't have a girlfriend!"

Serena gave Brock a funny look. "You'll get used to that." Ash responded with a laugh.

"We would like to welcome all passengers from Porta Vista to the Maiden's Peak annual summer's end festival! a voice announced through a PA system as the passengers of the ferry arrived to the island.

"Sounds like a lot of fun! Look at all of the rides and games!" Serena noted as she observed the attractions the island had to offer.

"Sure does!" Ash agreed.

"PIKA!"

"EEEEEEEEEE"

Pikachu and Eevee joined in on the excitement.

Brock moped behind the gang as they stepped out on the docks, before abruptly stopping in his tracks upon noticing something on the beach. "That girl.. Who is that beautiful girl?" Brock mumbled as he stared in awe at a beautiful woman with long hair and wearing a white dress as she gazed longingly into the ocean.

Pikachu noticed Brock and tried to figure out what caught his attention. The electric mouse honed in on the beach, only to see a brief image of a pokemon that quickly vanished. Pikachu shook its head and continued on.

* * *

The gang enjoyed the festivities of Maiden's Peak event, for the most part. Ash and Serena played some games and even won some prizes; Pikachu and Eevee both ran around playing tag. Brock, however, could only think about the girl he saw when he first stepped foot on the island.

"Hey, Brocko. Why don't you have some cotton candy?" Ash offered. Serena nodded in agreement as she happily indulged herself with her own.

Brock shook his head. "All I want to do is talk to that girl." Brock said, almost as if he were in a trance.

Ash and Serena both looked at each other in confusion.

Suddenly, someone poked Brock on the shoulder. He eagerly turned around, hoping it was the woman he set his sights on earlier. To the contrary, it was a short, elderly woman in a purple robe who walked with a staff.

"AAHHH!" Brock shouted.

"Stay away from that young, beautiful woman you speak of, or you will meet a cruel fate!" the elderly woman warned.

"The girl on the beach! I have to meet her!" Brock declared.

Ash put his hands on his hips with a baffled expression as he tried to figure out what was going on. Serena, also looking perplexed, seemed to focus intently on the elderly woman as she walked away and dissapeared into the large crowd.

* * *

Later that evening, the group joined a gathering of people near a shack who were gathered to view some sort of presentation about the island's history and background on Maiden's Rock.

"Around 2,000 years ago, the Maiden watched her lover set sail to fight a great war," a man proclaimed to the crowd as he unveiled a portrait of this Maiden. "She waited and waited, but he never returned. The legends claim that the very Maiden's Rock we see today is the body of the Maiden, who turned to stone as she stayed in that spot for all those years."

"That's her! That's the beautiful woman I saw on the beach!" Brock insisted. He stood up and confronted the man giving the presentation, "Where is Maiden's Rock?" he asked.

"Maiden's Rock is just over that hill, "The bewildered man said as he pointed to the direction of Maiden's Rock. Brock, without hesitating, headed that way. Ash and Serena looked at each other, reluctantly following Brock.

* * *

Without any sign of movement or concern for his surroundings, Brock sat calmly on Maiden's Peak as he stared deeply at the Maiden's Rock. As if he were entranced by its beauty, Brock romanticized over the thought of meeting the Maiden in real life.

"No matter how long you look at it, a rock's a rock, Brock," Ash said, trying to convince his friend to snap out of it.

"Ash is right! Let's go back to the festival!" Serena pleaded. Serena's Eevee and Ash's Pikachu concurred with their trainers.

"You two go on ahead, I want to stay here for awhile." Brock responded in a dismissive tone. Ash and Serena looked at each other with mutual disappointment. "You know where we're staying, right?" Serena asked.

"The Pokemon Center in town; yeah, I know." he responded. Ash grabbed his bag, but he looked back at Brock, hesitating to leave.

"I'll be fine." Brock insisted. With that, Ash and Serena left Brock to stare at the rock in the loneliness of the moonlit night.

* * *

Later that night at the pokemon center, Ash and Serena tried to enjoy some coffee even though Brock worried both of them. The clock struck midnight, signifying the beginning of curfew for all of the trainer staying at the center for the night.

"I'm going to go get him," Ash said as he stood up and grabbed his backpack.

"Not so fast! If you're staying here, you are not allowed to leave!" Nurse Joy insisted.

"Sorry, I'm not leaving Brock!" Ash shot back as he exited the center, followed by Serena.

"It seems your friend is under the influence of the Maiden's spirit; just like I had anticipated." the old woman from earlier said; she stood just outside of the pokemon center entrance. Ash and Serena both came to a halting stop.

"How do we snap him out of it!?" Ash responded.

"Hmm..." the old lady pondered. "There's nothing you can do. You may as well let the spirit do what it will."

"No way! We're gonna fight!" Ash spat as he continued on towards the rock. Serena followed, quietly looking back at the old woman with a skeptical expression as she walked.

* * *

Upon arriving to the rock, Brock was literally floating in the air, still entranced by the Maiden, who now took form in a spiritual embodiment of herself.

"Brock!" Ash exclaimed.

"The spirit of the Maiden!" Serena shouted in fear. "What if she lures in hopeless men like Brock and carries them off into another dimension!?" Serena hypothesized in a spooked tone.

Ash looked at her with wide eyes. "No way!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, a horde of transparent skulls formed near Ash and Serena, they eerily laughed as they flew around the duo, scarring them both, along with Pikachu and Eevee. "What kind of pokemon are these?" Ash asked as he panicked and grabbed his pokedex, scouting every direction, trying to explain the phenomena. Serena held onto his arm, trying not to look at the weird skulls.

"It's no good! Dexter isn't coming up with anything!" Ash said. Then, he aimed his pokedex over at the spirit of the maiden.

 _Gastly, the ghost pokemon. It is usually invisible. Gastly specializes in Hypnosis._ the pokedex read.

"It's a ghost pokemon!" Serena proclaimed.

"Correct. I am also the spirit of the lonely maiden. Or the old lady who warns tourists. But ultimately, I will always be GASTLY!" the ghost pokemon said.

"IT CAN TALK?" Ash and Serena asked in unison.

"Give us back Brock!" Ash demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that!" Gastly responded.

"Then I'll just have to fight! Pikachu: Thunderbolt!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu dashed towards Gastly.

"This mouse could use a mouse trap!" Gastly said as it created a large mouse trap from thin air that chased Pikachu behind Ash's legs. "Eevee: Quick Attack!" Serena commanded, not realizing the attack would have no effect. Eevee coward down none the less, as Gastly fiercely hovered above them as the spooky darkness of the night seemed to get even darker as a cloud appeared to cover the moon.

"Charmander: Ember!" Ash said as he called out his fire-type. Charmander tried to attack, but Gastly created a large fire-extinguisher that scared it off. Ash snarled as he recalled Charmander. "Bulbasaur: I choose you!"

"Squirtle: let's go!" Serena said as she summoned her water-type. Bulbasaur and Squirtle stared down Gastly. "I see. But what will you do with this!? Venasaur and Blastoise! Or better yet? Venastoise!" Gastly said as it conjured up a image of the two fully evolved pokemon fusing together. This made Bulbasaur and Squirtle flee the battle almost instantly.

"That's it. It's just too strong!" Ash spat as he clinched his fists.

"Brock. No.." Serena said desperately as she watched her new friend float in the air, still admiring Maiden's Rock. Just then, a blue pulsating attack that took the form of a dragon's head pelted Gastly like a powerful hail storm. The ghost pokemon was well beyond taken aback by the attack. Ash and Serena both jerked back to trace the source of the attack.

"LEAF?!" Ash exclaimed as his rival stood just a few feet behind he and Serena.

Without warning, Leaf hurled a pokeball over to Gastly. The ball opened up, captured the ghost-type inside, and shook slowly. Everyone watched closely in anticipation.

The light from the pokeball turned off, and the ball stopped shaking.

"You... You caught it?" Serena uttered in disbelief.

Brock, who was previously suspended in the air due to Gastly's powers, fell towards the violent waves crashing up against the shores of the island. Leaf had her Dragonair retrieve him before he could hit the water and safely bring him back up.

"Leaf, how did you..." Ash asked, trying to piece together what just happened.

"I talked to one of the locals earlier. They told me that they believed a ghost-pokemon was behind all of this stuff, but they couldn't prove it. Turns out they were right," Leaf replied as she picked up her pokeball containing Gastly.

"I knew there was something off about the old woman, I just couldn't put my finger on it!" Serena noted aloud.

Leaf closed her eyes and nodded, "I think this Gastly wanted to maintain the tradition of this island by keeping the maiden's story alive. It's exceptionally powerful, so maybe I can put that to good use."

"Leaf. I can't say thanks enough for helping Brock." Ash said in a rare moment of kindness to his rival.

"I also didn't like seeing this Gastly toy with emotions like that. The maiden should be respected."

"What do you mean, Leaf?" Serena inquired. Leaf briefly glanced over at Ash then turned her back to leave, "I know what it's like to long for something that will never happen." she said quietly as she walked away.

Serena looked over at Ash and then back at Leaf, trying to figure out what that was all about. Ash was relatively unresponsive, seeming to be more focused on Brock.

* * *

The next night, everyone gathered around a fire outside and enjoyed the closing ceremonies of Maiden's Peak, many people danced, while some simply enjoyed the scenery.

"Leaf's getting stronger. We have to keep getting stronger, too!" Ash told Pikacu with a clinched fist as he overlooked the ceremonies.

"Hey, Ash," Serena said as she snapped Ash out of his deep thoughts. She wore a beautiful red kimono as her looks invited all of Ash's attention, despite having his mind on training.

"Serena..." Ash uttered in awe with a slight blush across his face.

"Want to dance?" she nervously asked.

Ash smiled and nodded as the two made their way closer to the fire where everyone else danced the night, and the Maiden's Peak ceremonies away. Pikachu and Eevee also danced together next to their trainers.

Brock stared longingly at Maiden's Rock, with the sight still barely being in view of the festival.

"Sorry about what happened." a voice said, breaking his trance.

"Oh, hi Leaf." Brock responded.

"You know, living in this world can be weird," she said as she stood next to him, gazing into the night sky.

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes I think we almost lose ourselves when we pay so much attention to whatever we do with our pokemon. It's like we forget about each other... I don't know.."

Brock was unsure how to respond to this brand new side of Leaf he was not aware of, especially considering he hardly knew her to begin with. "Yeah. Hey? So what did you mean when you saved me about -"

"Let's dance." Leaf said, cutting him off. After a few seconds of hesitating, Brock smiled and the two enjoyed a dance.

As the final night on the island concluded, many new adventures back on the Kanto region await our heroes as the journey continues...


	13. Lusamine vs Trip and Neesha!

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* * *

Lusamine gracefully stepped down the stairs of her private jet as she gazed at the bright lights of Saffron City off in the distance. "We're finally here," the Aether President said with ambition. Wicke, the president's deputy chief assistant nodded in agreement.

"So, I presume we will engage with our researchers at Silph Co. about their recent findings?" Wicke asked.

Lusamine firmly nodded, "Yes. The time to expand our empire here in Kanto has arrived!" she declared.

* * *

Meanwhile, our heroes: Ash, Serena, and Brock finally reached the mainland of Kanto after days of being cast out at the sea. Ash finds himself locked in an intense match for his fourth badge against the Gym Leader of Celadon City, Erika.

"Tangela: use vine whip on Bulbasaur! Gloom: use acid on Charmander!" the Gym Leader commanded as her two grass-type pokemon opposed Ash's two pokemon in a double battle.

"Charmander: knock both attacks down with your flamethrower!" Ash responded. Charmandedr opened its mouth and allowed the flames from its body spew out and negate both attacks with ease. Dust quickly settled on the grass battlefield within the Celadon Gym greenhouse.

"You can do it, Charmander!" Serena enthused from the sidelines.

Brock smiled and put his hand on his chin, "Hmm. Charmander has obviously improved since its battles with Lt. Surge and Leaf," the Gym Leader commented as the battle continued.

Ash gripped the tip of his hat and let out a proud sigh, "This badge is mine! Bulbasaur: use vine whip to send them flying! Charmander: finish them off with flamethrower while they're air-bound!" the trainer commanded. And without hesitation, Bulbasaur whipped up both of Erika's pokemon with its vines and Charmander roasted both of them almost effortlessly. Both Gloom and Tangela hit the ground in defeat as Bulbasaur and Charmander triumphantly remained standing.

"Yes! We did it!" Ash celebrated; along with Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu.

"Wow. Gym battles sure are intense," Serena said with a sigh of relief.

Brock nodded with his arms folded, "As Gym Leaders, our goal is to push trainers to their limits, doing the best we can to bring out the best in them and their pokemon so that no matter what they decide to do in life, they will be ready for anything," he said as Ash claimed his badge from Erika and held it up high.

"So, where are we off to next?" Serena asked Brock.

"The next Gym Leader will be in Safron City," he replied.

Ash clinched his fists as he celebrated with his pokemon, "Pokemon League: here we come!" the trainer declared.

* * *

Lusamine and her assistant, Wicke, arrived at the large Silph Co. building via limousine. The two were greeted by the front desk staff inside the upscale business, "Good afternoon, Ms. Lusamine. It's nice to see you," one of them said.

"Good to be here. Is everything ready for the conference meeting on floor 28?" she inquired.

"Yes, everything is ready madame president," the Silph Co. employee responded.

"Excuse me. Are you the Aether Foundation President?" a male voice spoke up from behind Lusamine and Wicke. Lusamine turned around to the sight of a young man with dirty blonde hair, a thin orange jacket and brown pants. Next to him stood a young woman with short brown hair, wearing a _cool trainer_ uniform.

"I am. Who is asking?"

"The name is Trip," the boy said.

"I'm Neesha!" the girl added.

"It's nice to meet both of you."

"I hate to be forward, but I want to know if you're as strong as everyone says you are," Trip asserted with arrogance.

"You see, we're both on our first journey as trainers! We're going to challenge the Indigo Plateau!" Neesha added.

Lusamine smiled. "It's always nice to witness such pure ambition. Sure, I'll battle both of you," she said as she turned to the Silph Co. staffer, "Please have my researchers send down UB-01."

The staffer nodded and made a quick phone call. Less than a minute later, a strange blue pokeball was sent through a transfer system, the staffer gave it to Lusamine, who had a malevolent smile as she held it.

The Aether President fulfilled the wishes of the two young trainers as she opposed both of them across the spacious lobby.

"Ivysaur! Go!" Trip exclaimed as he summoned his grass-type.

"Shell Shocker! Go!" Nessha exclaimed as she summoned her Wartortle.

Lusamine inhaled deeply before releasing the pokeball, "I haven't felt like this in so long. I'm not just analyzing data or observing Nihilego, I'm actually battling with it. This is euphoric!" she thought to herself as she summoned a strange jellyfish-like pokemon.

The Silph. Co employees, along with Trip, Neesha and Wicke all looked on in amazement at the strange pokemon.

"Wh- What is that thing?!" asked a bewildered Neesha.

"Who cares? This is a once in a lifetime battle and I'm not going to get distracted! Ivysaur: vine whip!" Trip shouted. Ivysaur extended its vines and hit Nihilego, knocking the pokemon back slightly.

"I guess he's right," Nessha said hesitantly, "Shell Shocker: water pulse!" she commanded. Wartortle launched the attack, landing another hit on Nihilego, the damage was significant, seemingly. Lusamine, however, calmly examined her pokemon without retaliating.

"Is she not going to fight?" Nessha inquired.

"Her loss," Trip said preparing for another attack. "Ivysaur: vine whip, again!" the trainer commanded. Ivysaur again extended its vines and popped Nihelego twice, doing mediocre damage.

Suddenly, Lusamine's eyes shot open and she gazed at the battle filed with a nefarious expression, "SLUDGE WAVE!" she exclaimed with vitriol. Niheliego raised its tentacles and sprayed Ivysaur with the poison attack, instantly defeating the grass-type. "Ivysaur!" Trip shouted with a distraught tone.

An aura briefly surrounded Nihilego, indicating some sort of stat change. "Beast Boost," Wicke uttered.

"What is that?" one of the Silph. Co. employees asked.

"Nihilego gets a raise in special attack each time it defeats an opponent in battle," she answered.

"Well that's not stopping us! Shell Shocker: HYDRO PUMP!" Nessha responded. Wartortle opened its mouth and released an impressive stream of water hurling towards Nihilego.

"Sludge wave, again!" Lusamine commanded. Nihilego once again sprayed out its poison - which collided with hydro pump in the center of the lobby. Eventually, the poison attack pushed back hydro pump and overwhelmed Wartortle, defeating it.

"Madame President, that was..." Wicke said, trying to find words to describe what she just witnessed.

"I know. And just think, this is only the beginning," she replied recalling Nihilego. "We truly have a chance at achieving a transformative era of pokemon relationships and multiverse travel.

"Multiverse travel?" Neesha asked as she recalled her Wartortle.

Lusamine smiled at the two trainers, purposely bypassing her question. "It was great to meet you two. I can't wait to see you compete at the Indigo League!" the president said with a distinctly different attitude from what she had during battle.

* * *

On their way to Saffron City, and Ash's next Gym Badge, our heroes find a nice site in the forest to camp out near a fire, roasting marshmallows and enjoying the nice, cool and calm fall night, with nothing but the stars and fire illuminating their surroundings. Pikachu, Eevee, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Frogadier and Geodude all played around near by.

"So, Ash? I noticed you have a Charmander AND Bulbasaur. How did you get so lucky to get two starters?" Serena asked as she held her marshmallow stick near the burning fire.

"HA, thing is, I actually overslept on the first day of my journey and ended up with Pikachu!" Ash responded with a light chuckle.

"Pikachu?"

"Right. Pikachu and I didn't get along all that well at first, but now we're best buds!" the trainer said glowingly staring at his electric pokemon. "I met Bulbasaur at a hidden village, kind of like a pokemon daycare in the wild! And Charmander, well... Charmander was given to me by my dad."

"So, what about that, anyway? Didn't he sort of appear out of nowhere after a long time of not seeing you?" Brock inquired upon recalling the instance with Mr. Ketchum in Vermilion City.

Ash nervously chuckled while scratching the back of his head, "It's a long story," he said dismissively.

"I see," Brock said in an attempt to drop what seemed like a complex topic.

"What about you? Was Squirtle your starter?" Ash asked.

Serena smiled and shook her head, "I met Squirtle when it helped put out a dangerous fire on the first day of my journey. Eevee was my starter!" she explained.

"Wow.. So are you gonna compete in the pokemon league?" the trainer from Pallet anxiously asked.

"No. I think I want to be a Pokemon Performer!"

"Pokemon Performer?"

"Pokemon Performer's act as entertainers with their pokemon!" Brock chimed in. "There are two performance showcases in the Kanto region. The first, held in Lavender Town, is open to any trainer trying to be recognized as an elite performer. The competition is judged by two elite Pokemon Coordinators: May from the Hoenn region, and Dawn from the Sinnoh region. Contestants who reach the top 16 threshold will be invited to the grand performance, held on Cinnabar Island. That competition is hosted by a pokemon connoisseur, Cilan from the Unova region." he elaborated.

Serena nodded, "Yup! He's right! And I couldn't be more excited!" she enthused.

Ash blinked several times, trying to gather all of the information, "You sure do know a lot about this, Brock," the trainer said.

"You see, I follow this competition closely, because the world's most famous Pokemon Performer is the most beautiful woman yet to hopefully fall in love with me, Aria from the Kalos region! She also observes each competition, and even performs against the winner!" the Gym Leader said as he fantasized about the performer.

Serena giggled as Brock gushed; Ash tilted his head with a hint of obliviousness.

"Oh! I almost forgot to ask! What about your Frogadier, Ash?" Serena inquired.

Just as Ash prepared to answer, an eerie fog overcame the area and the camp fire abruptly died.

"Uh, that was weird," Brock noted.

"What's with the fog? I can't see anything!" Ash added.

"Heee heeee heee heeeee," the faint laughter of what sounded like a little girl could be heard in no specific direction around the group.

"What's gong on? Who's there?" Serena nervously cried out.

"Why don't you come and play with me?" the girl's sinister voice seemed to completely surround them as a light, cold wind picked up.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! This chapter will be the beginning of what I'm calling the "Saffron City Wormhole arc". I would love to hear from you! See you next time!**


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